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EDO STATE MIGRATION AGENCY

EDO STATE GOVERNMENT

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EDO STATE MIGRATION AGENCY

About Us

Official website of the EDO STATE MIGRATION AGENCY

The Edo State Migration Agency (EDMA) recognises that migration can provide significant opportunities for individuals, families, and communities when undertaken safely and legally. At the same time, misinformation, irregular migration, exploitation, and human trafficking can expose individuals to serious risks.

Through a coordinated approach involving government institutions, international organisations, development partners, civil society, private-sector organisations, and other stakeholders, EDMA works to build a migration environment in which citizens are empowered to make informed choices and pursue sustainable opportunities.

Our approach goes beyond preventing unsafe migration. We seek to ensure that citizens who choose to remain in Edo State can also access meaningful opportunities, skills, livelihoods, and pathways to a thriving life at home.

Our Vision

A future where every citizen of Edo State can choose their path: to migrate safely and successfully, or to build a thriving and rewarding life at home.

Our Mission

To empower the people of Edo State to achieve safe, legal, and successful migration through reliable information, strategic partnerships, and tangible opportunities at home and abroad.

Our Mandate

EDMA has the mandate to address the menace of human trafficking and promote safe migration in Edo State. The Agency works to reduce the vulnerability of citizens to trafficking and irregular migration by providing information, strengthening partnerships, promoting legitimate migration pathways, and supporting opportunities for sustainable livelihoods at home and abroad.

Thematic Pillars of EDMA

Rehabilitation & Reintegration: Centered on supporting returnees and victims of trafficking, this pillar aims to provide effective rehabilitation and reintegration programs. Activities may include vocational training, psychological support, and community-based initiatives to ensure the successful reintegration of individuals into society, reducing the risk of re-trafficking and make migration a choice rather than a necessity.
Reorientation/Advocacy: This pillar emphasizes the importance of a robust engagement with the public, especially at the grassroots and endemic communities, to effect a change in psyche and values, social reorientation and enlightenment, to reshape perceptions and attitudes toward migration. Activities will involve public awareness campaigns, community engagement programs, and educational initiatives to promote a more informed and positive outlook on migration, thereby addressing root causes and changing societal attitudes.
Retribution / Victim Protections: This pillar underscores the significance of robust law enforcement mechanisms to combat human trafficking and irregular migration. It involves strengthening legal frameworks, enhancing law enforcement capacity, and ensuring swift and effective prosecution of trafficking and smuggling of migrants cases, with emphasis on effective intelligence gathering and rigorous investigation. Collaboration with law enforcement agencies and the judiciary is crucial to achieving this objective.
Data & Research / ICT: The research/data collection pillar emphasizes the importance of evidence-based decision making. Activities may include conducting research on migration trends, collecting data on trafficking incidents, and analyzing socio-economic factors contributing to migration. This pillar provides a foundation for informed policy development and targeted intervention strategies.
Safe Migration: This pillar focuses on exploring pathways to regular migration, by providing requisite information to prospective migrants, and harnessing available opportunities in collaboration with international and local partners. Initiatives under this pillar will include awareness campaigns on regular migration pathways, facilitating access to reliable information for prospective migrants, and collaborating with relevant authorities to streamline migration procedures.
Safe/Voluntary Return This pillar seeks to leverage on a dignified alternative for migrants trapped in dangerous or desperate situations abroad. It ensures their journey home is coordinated and secure, not a perilous ordeal. Most importantly, the choice to return is always their own, made without coercion. For EDMA, this process is fundamental it is how the Agency fulfills its duty to protect its citizens, offering them not just an escape, but a genuine pathway to a new beginning.