Zimpapers Logo

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture has started rolling out training across the country to speed up the implementation of the Integrated Border Management (IBM) programme.

The European Union put in 3,2 million for the programme, which would run for four years. The support is coming through the EU’s 11th European Development Fund.

IOM national project officer (Capacity Building and Advocacy) Mrs Memory Mwale told participants at an on-going IBM training in Beitbridge that the new programme sought to strengthen public institutions’ capacity on matters around migrant governance.

“The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to the establishment of a migration governance framework (policy, institutional and legislative) in Zimbabwe,” she said.

“We are looking at a framework, which supports State actors to manage migration in dialogue with non-State actors and in a migrant-centred, gender-sensitive, rights upfront-based and development-oriented manner.”

Mrs Mwale said they came up with the programme after realising that there was a gap on issues of migration governance in Zimbabwe.

She said it was important to strengthen institutional capacity and to adopt a coherent and gender-sensitive policy and legislative framework for a comprehensive approach to migration issues in the country.

“So far, we have rolled out a capacity building workshop on Integrated Border Management for over 140 people, including senior officials from ministries and departments with a mandate in border management, said Mrs Mwale.

“This has helped in increasing their capacity to mainstream and operationalise IBM concepts in migration management through a comprehensive migration and integrated border management model.”

Mrs Mwale said the training package would be used as part of the curriculum for the existing internal trainings for border officials.

She said Beitbridge had been selected for the roll-out of the IBM training package due to the complex issues and volumes of migrants passing through the port of entry daily.

“It is against this background that IOM will support the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Home Affairs to implement a pilot IBM Capacity Building Workshop for Migration Management and Border Authorities at the Beitbridge Border Post using the new IBM training package,” said Mrs Mwale.

She said the initiative would enhance participation and contribution of Zimbabwean women and men in the Diaspora on national development initiatives, in close collaboration with the Government.

According to Mrs Mwale, the IBM would also see migration laws being reviewed and aligned to the Constitution and regional protocols, among other international migration laws.

She said technical working groups would develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and referral systems to improve migrants’ access to social protection.

The IBM project was initiated in 2016 when IOM handed over the running of the Beitbridge and Plumtree reception and support centres to Government.

The two reception centres were now being managed by the Departments of Social Services and that of Child Welfare and they offer assistance to Zimbabweans deported from the two countries.

A total of 580 000 irregular migrants who were deported from Botswana and South Africa were assisted by IOM at the two centres between 2006 and 2015.