On 19 – 20 May, a meeting organised in Abuja under the auspices of the Working Group on Return and Reintegration (WGRR), chaired by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons of Nigeria (NCFRMI), gathered 33 participants from government institutions and civil society organisations from around the country, National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) as well as international organisations.
The goals of the meeting were: (1) To present the PROSPECT* project to the WGRR members and others participants of the network. 2) To highlight the critical services required for the implementation of the project and to collect inputs on sustainable reintegration options for the returnees. (3) To discuss and agree on the workflow of the referral and the collaboration between ERRIN SP and other services providers in Nigeria.
The meeting organised with the support of the ICMPD, was officially open by NCFRMI. The EU Delegation in Nigeria was also represented and provided the EU perspective in light of the new EU Strategy on voluntary return and reintegration adopted in April 2021.
During the two days, the participants discussed the governance framework in Nigeria vis-à-vis return and reintegration of vulnerable migrants and how to harness this framework for the benefit of the PROSPECT Project as well as to provide strategic guidance and inputs on how to enable a smooth and constructive dialogue between the network of service providers and pre-departure actors in Europe in the framework of the PROSPECT project.
The successful outcomes of the kick-off meeting will ultimately contribute to the standards of care for returnees vulnerable to exploitation in Nigeria.
*The PROSPECT project (Strengthening the Provision of Support for Reintegration of Vulnerable Persons, including Victims of Trafficking Returning to Nigeria) is a pilot initiative funded by the European Return and Reintegration Network (ERRIN). It aims to strengthen the reintegration of returnees vulnerable to exploitation, including victims of trafficking, in Nigeria by linking ERRIN assistance package with relevant organisations in Nigeria that can provide services (i.e. accommodation, legal aid and psychosocial support) as part of this package. The project partners are Caritas International Belgium and Idia Renaissance.