Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are among African countries that will benefit from a $2.04 billion (€1.8 billion) emergency fund set up by the European Union to address the causes of migration and displacement of persons on the continent.

The fund, to be officially launched before the end of the year, will help the countries address socio-economic challenges that force people to migrate from their original homes.

“The EU will work to help African countries achieve economic development that tackles unemployment and prevents migration and radicalisation,” said the EU Commissioner for International Co-operation and Development Neven Mimica at a press briefing in Nairobi.

Other countries expected to benefit from the fund are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan. In the Sahel region and Lake Chad area, the beneficiaries will be Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. In North Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt will also be part of the group.

The move by the EU is aimed partly at stemming the wave of migration from the three regions to Europe. The beneficiaries of the fund are either the source countries for migrants or act as transit routes for those heading to Europe.

Eritrea, one of the top source countries for migrants heading to Europe from Africa, will also receive $226.5 million (€200 million) for development projects targeting women and youth.

Once operational, Mr Mimica said, the fund will foster stability in the region and contribute to better migration management.
The International Organisation for Migration detected more than 350,000 migrants at the EU’s borders between January and August 2015, compared with 280,000 detections for the whole of 2014.

Many, however, believe the figure is too conservative as it does not include those who entered the 28-member bloc.

Mr Mimica conceded that the EU was facing a major migrant crisis that needed the involvement of both the source and destination countries.