A presentation by Prof. Zogli
This meeting was a presentation by Prof. Luther-King and Emmanuel Lauer from Durban University of Technology to the African Mobility Scholars Association (AMSA) on their systematic review research examining mobility and informal livelihoods in Africa. The presenters shared findings from 84 studies across 18 African countries, focusing on how mobile populations sustain informal livelihoods through activities like cross-border trading, artisanry, and domestic work. They discussed key challenges, including xenophobia, legal barriers, and criminalization of informal work, while highlighting that post-2015 policy frameworks like SDG 5 and 8 are rarely operationalized effectively. The research identified critical gaps, including the absence of studies from Central and Francophone Africa, limited research on digital labor platforms, and the lack of longitudinal studies. The presenters emphasized that mobile populations are essential economic actors whose rights are systematically unprotected, calling for context-driven policy frameworks rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.
