3. Centering the Voices of African Migrants in Africa/European Union (EU) Migration Debates
The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC), South Africa, and the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI), Sweden, hosted a webinar titled “Centering the Voices of African Migrants in Africa/European Union (EU) Migration Debates.” This webinar is the first of a two-part series that aims to provide a platform to bridge the gap between African and EU policymakers and African migrants in light of the first global, holistic, inter-governmental document on migration: the 2018 United Nations (UN) Global Compact for Safe, Regular, and Orderly Migration. The webinar was attended by 51 participants who form part of the Institute’s Migration Community of Practice (CoP) across South Africa, Africa, the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and beyond.
Chair: Dr Adeoye Akinola, Senior Researcher at IPATC, Johannesburg, South Africa
Speakers: Mr Joseph Peters, a migrant from Sierra Leone, affiliated to the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNRC), Italy.
Dr Joy Kategekwa, Strategic Advisor to the Regional Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Regional Bureau for Africa, New York, United States.
Ms Zoliswa Ntsoko (South Africa) is the Institute’s Administrative Assistant who assists with general administration and research. She is a seasoned professional with a background in Disaster Management. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Management from Milpark Business School, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management from Regenesys Business School. She also holds certificates in Project Management, and in Disaster Management. Previously, she has worked as a Disaster Management Specialist at the City of Johannesburg – Disaster Management Centre.
Ms Cecilia Lwiindi Nedziwe-Moyo is the Research Coordinator at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation. She previously served as a Regional Coordinator at the Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa (CPIA) in Zimbabwe between 2007 and 2013. She completed her master’s degree in International Studies, Peace, and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Australia as a Rotary Peace Scholar. She has just completed her doctoral studies at Rhodes University. Her areas of interest include: gender, foreign policy, regional organisations and conflict resolution.
Ms Thembeka Somtseu is a seasoned professional with a background in the textile and construction sectors. She holds a National Diploma in Business Administration from the Durban University of Technology, and studied Development Communication and Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She worked as a corporate communications specialist for more than ten years, serving in both local and multinational companies.