Widespread governance failures across Africa are turning South Africa into an unintended destination for what a Ghanaian official describes as the continent’s “forced migration” crisis.
Dr. Akwasi Opong-Fosu of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre said the root cause of rising anti-immigrant tensions in South Africa lies not in xenophobia, but in leadership breakdowns throughout the region. He argued that citizens increasingly flee their home countries when governments fail to deliver basic necessities including jobs, safety, housing, and essential services.
“This pressure in various countries has resulted in migration of Africans looking for the very basic things that they expect their leaders to deliver,” Dr. Opong-Fosu said. “Having failed in that regard, they are looking elsewhere across the world, and South Africa has become one of the destinations in this forced migration of Africans.”
He described recent attacks on foreign nationals as a “misdirection of wrong targets,” noting that frustration should be channeled toward political leadership rather than fellow Africans. He characterized the situation as “victims against victims of a broken system.”
Dr. Opong-Fosu urged citizens across the continent to hold their governments accountable. “South Africans, and for that matter Africans in their countries, must hold their leadership accountable to deliver the basic necessities of life to avoid this forced migration — not only to South Africa but anywhere else but their own countries.”
He also called on the African Union to move beyond condemning isolated incidents and instead confront what he termed “leadership denial” and systemic issues plaguing member states.
Godfrey Madanhire, Ambassador of the State of the African Diaspora, Ambassador of the State of the African Diaspora, framed the tensions within the legacy of colonialism, noting that borders imposed during the Berlin Conference — where no Africans were invited — continue to divide the continent. He warned that fighting over migration within Africa effectively endorses those colonial divisions.
“If as Africans we are now fighting because we believe a Zimbabwean is now in South Africa, a Nigerian is now in South Africa, or a Ghanaian is now in Kenya, then we are endorsing what our colonial masters imposed on us,” Madanhire said.
He also cautioned that escalating unrest could invite unwanted external intervention, including economic sanctions. “There are some in the international community that are looking at countries like South Africa and looking for that very first mistake,” he said.
Madanhire noted the timing of recent protests ahead of local government elections in November, suggesting some leaders may avoid condemning the violence because foreign nationals “are not going to vote.”
Both speakers called for a recommitment to pan-African unity on Africa Day, with Madanhire invoking the ideals of Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda, Robert Mugabe, Samora Machel, and Thomas Sankara.
Dr. Opong-Fosu concluded that scapegoating foreigners will not solve the continent’s deep challenges. “Africa is a resource-rich continent — but only on paper,” he said. “We need to ensure that national resource sovereignty and its delivery benefits the people through leadership that works for all.”