--- title: Migration Is More Positive Than We've Been Led to Believe description: Many stories of migration, particularly about African migrants, deal with conflict or a mass exodus, but there is more to these narratives canonical: https://time.com/5563750/africa-global-migration/ author: Mo Ibrahim article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-04-04T07:00:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:12:51.948Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Story of Migration Is More Positive Than We've Been Led to Believe og:description: Mo Ibrahim explains what the distorted, negative picture misses og:url: https://time.com/5563750/africa-global-migration/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b72ef783e156a81/698947c597cdff236f6b79b5/african-migration-conflict-exodus-narrative.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: african-migration-conflict-exodus-narrative og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Story of Migration Is More Positive Than We've Been Led to Believe twitter:description: Mo Ibrahim explains what the distorted, negative picture misses twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b72ef783e156a81/698947c597cdff236f6b79b5/african-migration-conflict-exodus-narrative.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Story of Migration Is More Positive Than We've Been Led to Believe > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=e47d61f8-a616-42af-8821-10d144e26c70&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 430,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 50.7% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=e47d61f8-a616-42af-8821-10d144e26c70&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=e47d61f8-a616-42af-8821-10d144e26c70&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. It reaches 430,000 subscribers with a 50.7% open rate as of August 2026. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Mo Ibrahim](https://time.com/author/mo-ibrahim/) ## Mo Ibrahim Apr 4, 2019 7:00 AM UTC  Internally displaced persons wait for supplies at the Picoco refugee camp in Beira, on April 1, 2019. Internally displaced persons wait for supplies at the Picoco refugee camp in Beira, on April 1, 2019.Guillem Sartorio—AFP/Getty Images by [Mo Ibrahim](https://time.com/author/mo-ibrahim/) ## Mo Ibrahim Apr 4, 2019 7:00 AM UTC The story of migration from Africa is typically told as a mass exodus from [conflict](http://time.com/4799804/central-african-republic/) or [climate change](http://time.com/5416793/climate-change-ban-ki-moon-trump/). Images of vulnerable families crossing oceans on precarious boats and enduring winters in makeshift refugee camps have become ingrained parts of this narrative. There are human lives behind each image, and their experiences must never be dismissed. But this is not the full picture. The reality of this phenomenon and its root causes are very different. The story of African migrations needs to be reset. This is not just an [African concern](http://time.com/longform/african-slave-trade/): we must urgently push back against the corrosive global discourse that has perpetuated a distorted and harmful picture that betrays the reality. Because without a doubt, distorted narratives lead to distorted policies. Despite popular belief, in almost 30 years, the scale of the global migrant population has increased only marginally, from [2.9% of the global population in 1990 to 3.4% in 2017](https://www.iom.sk/en/migration/migration-in-the-world.html). Migration patterns may have changed, but they have not significantly increased. African migrants account for only [14% of the global migrant population](http://s.mo.ibrahim.foundation/u/2019/03/18193224/2019-Forum-Report.pdf?%5Fga=2.233019606.971969344.1554113433-1376135683.1539079664): significantly less than migrants from [Asia](http://s.mo.ibrahim.foundation/u/2019/03/18193224/2019-Forum-Report.pdf?%5Fga=2.233019606.971969344.1554113433-1376135683.1539079664), which account for 41%, or [Europe](http://s.mo.ibrahim.foundation/u/2019/03/18193224/2019-Forum-Report.pdf?%5Fga=2.233019606.971969344.1554113433-1376135683.1539079664), which account for 24%. In fact, in 2017, the top ten migration flows from Africa accounted for less than the single migration flow from Mexico to the U.S. Most African migrations _begin_ _and end_ [on the continent](https://unctad.org/en/pages/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=2118). Yet [migration](http://time.com/longform/migrants/) evokes strong emotions: it gets tangled up with suspicion of difference, [hostility](http://time.com/longform/caravan-guatemala-mexico-border/) to anyone outside the “we” group. In an age of fake news and deliberate misinformation, migration is perhaps most susceptible to this distortion. In recent years, we’ve seen the issue exploited for political ends across the globe. We can do better than this. Migration is not an inherently negative phenomenon. For centuries, migration has fostered global trade links, shaped nations, fueled human endeavors and enabled skills and cultures to be shared across the globe. As world leaders recognized in the first-ever United Nations [Global Compact on Migration](https://undocs.org/A/CONF.231/3) in December 2018, migration, “is a source of prosperity, innovation and sustainable development in our globalized world.” Data shows that migrants support GDP growth in destination countries and are valuable, often indispensable parts of the workforce. Their economic contribution is considerable. [Migrants’ contribution to GDP](https://unctad.org/en/pages/PressRelease.aspx?OriginalVersionID=457) is estimated at 19% in Côte d’Ivoire, 13% in Rwanda and 9% in South Africa. Migration can invigorate growth, plug labor market gaps and offer constructive opportunities for energetic and growing youth populations. Today, [60% of Africa’s population](https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/world-population-prospects-the-2017-revision.html) is under the age of 25 and by 2100, Africa’s youth could be [equivalent to twice Europe’s entire population](https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/world-population-prospects-the-2017-revision.html). However, the match between education and the skills needed by employers is [worse than in any other world region](http://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2019). Technological progress in recent years has created new jobs and business models, but opportunities for young African’s to master this innovation are still lacking across the continent. This is a huge challenge we must take on. If we do not manage and foster mobility, we run the risk of losing our greatest asset: our [young people](http://time.com/5550823/climate-change-protest-schoolchildren/). Refusal to create legal migration routes, insufficient policies and weak mobility frameworks mean criminal networks often profit from migration more than governments. When migration is poorly managed, we all lose out. In 2016, illegal [smuggling](http://time.com/5546294/honduras-border-family-story/) generated [$7 billion in income](https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2018/June/at-least-2-5-million-migrants-smuggled-worldwide-in-2016--says-unodc-study.html), equivalent to the amount spent by the United States or European Union countries on global humanitarian aid in the same year. These are sobering numbers. Humanity has always been on the move. Migrations are the fabric of our shared existence and have strengthened continents, countries and communities for millennia. Supporting migration, rather than thwarting it, is [essential if we wish to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and end poverty](https://www.odi.org/opinion/10492-migration-and-2030-agenda-sustainable-development-interactive-tool). The political challenge for [Africa](http://time.com/5559491/chad-social-media-internet-ban-censorship/) — and, indeed, the world — is to incentivize migration in the right way, be it geographical, educational or professional. The [African Union’s recent protocol on free movement](https://www.iom.int/news/iom-african-union-launch-study-benefits-challenges-free-movement-persons-africa), adopted a year ago, is a key step. This commitment to removing some of the barriers to migration will allow employers to recruit the skills they need, supporting economic development across Africa. But in Africa as elsewhere, the popular political will needs to press ahead. Attitudes in Africa towards migration are [more positive than anywhere else](http://s.mo.ibrahim.foundation/u/2019/03/18193224/2019-Forum-Report.pdf) in the world. African citizens are ready. Movement within and across continents is one of the great drivers of human history. Economic uplift is not a zero-sum game — in which one country’s loss is [another’s gain](http://time.com/4906162/taiwan-brain-drain-youth-china-jobs-economy/). Progress cannot be achieved by [trapping](http://time.com/5101296/shithole-countries-immigration-history/) ambitious young people in jobless markets. The answer must be not to forbid migration but to better manage it — and to overturn the corrosive global discourse on migration in the process. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5563750/africa-global-migration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5563750/africa-global-migration/"},"headline":"The Story of Migration Is More Positive Than We've Been Led to Believe","datePublished":"2019-04-04T07:00:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:12:51.948Z","description":"Mo Ibrahim explains what the distorted, negative picture misses","url":"https://time.com/5563750/africa-global-migration/","keywords":["World","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b72ef783e156a81/698947c597cdff236f6b79b5/african-migration-conflict-exodus-narrative.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mo Ibrahim","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/mo-ibrahim/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8b72ef783e156a81/698947c597cdff236f6b79b5/african-migration-conflict-exodus-narrative.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"african-migration-conflict-exodus-narrative","caption":"Internally displaced persons wait for supplies at the Picoco refugee camp in Beira, on April 1, 2019.","creditText":"Guillem Sartorio—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5563750/africa-global-migration/","name":"The Story of Migration Is More Positive Than We've Been Led to Believe"}}]}] ```