Abidjan, 16 July 2026 — Sidi Touré, Vice President of the Liberal International and Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Animal and Fisheries Resources, joined Alexandra Heldt, Regional Director for West Africa at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), to call for a fresh perspective on Africa-Europe migration partnerships at a high-level policy forum in Abidjan.

Their appeal came during the opening of the Liberal Political Dialogue Forum, held from 15 to 16 July 2026, under the theme ‘Migration, Security and Development: Rethinking Africa-Europe Partnerships’.

« Migration is not first and foremost a problem — it is fundamentally a matter of freedom, » Touré asserted, urging participants to move beyond the rhetoric of fear and oversimplified security narratives. Citing United Nations data, he pointed out that migrants account for just 3.7% of the global population and stressed, « Over 96% of people live in the country of their birth. The world is not being overwhelmed. »

He went on to highlight that 70% of African migration occurs within the continent, using the daily flows seen at Adjamé bus station in Abidjan as a real-world example. « This is not a crisis — it is life itself, » he said, underscoring Côte d’Ivoire’s long-standing culture of openness, embodied in the welcoming spirit of Akwaba.

Touré also expressed concern over the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from ECOWAS, warning of the impact on regional mobility. « Regardless of political differences, our peoples are brothers, our economies are sisters, and free movement is a shared heritage we must protect, » he emphasized. He stressed the importance of translating the forum’s discussions into practical recommendations, to be compiled in a policy brief.

Heldt, for her part, condemned the rise of xenophobic rhetoric both in Africa and Europe. Referencing the wave of violence against migrants in South Africa since 2008, she argued, « No nation can build its future by blaming migrants for its economic woes. »

She also spotlighted the paradox in Europe, where labor shortages coexist with growing anti-immigration sentiment. « Migration fosters exchange, innovation and entrepreneurship. It builds bridges between people far more than it erects walls, » she contended.

Urging a balanced Africa-Europe partnership rooted in mobility, shared responsibility and liberal values, she called on policymakers to « speak less of fear and more of trust, less of exclusion and more of cooperation. »

Touré closed by affirming, « Hospitality is not a sign of weakness — it is a strength and a policy. We must make migration a driver of shared prosperity. »

The forum continued with expert-led panels exploring the legal, geopolitical and human dimensions of migration.