Photo:Patrick Lorch Otieno Lumumba

PLO Of Africa To Chair JIFORM's  Summit On Migration 

Professor of Law and international speaker, Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba has been named as the Chairman of an international migration summit to be staged between October 15 and 17, 2020 by the Journalists' International Forum For Migration (JIFORM).

Confirming his participation, the pan-Africanist and the Director of Kenyan Law School in his official response said: “I confirm my availability and willingness to serve as PLO of Africa”.

The summit that attracts participants and speakers across the globe would also have in attendance the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede; MFR who has been slated to officially unveiled the event, German migration advocate Johanna Mac; Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, the Honourable Commissioner of Information, Lagos State, Nigeria; Harvard trained migration expert, Eric Chinje and United State based international migration lawyer, Samuel Adewusi.

The 3-day event themed 'Migration Governance and Media Strategy for Development During Pandemic', will be virtually held on zoom.

Juliet Makwama, the Secretary-General for JIFORM, in a statement issued in Lusaka, Zambia on Saturday said the media body comprising over 200 journalists across the continents were targeting the summit to produce a glossary of terminologies for migration reportage.

She pointed out: “Since 2018, we have been leading advocacy against irregular migration, human trafficking and crises leading to the internal displacement of citizens in nations, despite the pandemic; we are determined to reshape migration reportage to further enhance media capacity.

“In 2019, our first conference was held in Abuja, Nigeria, this year, as a result of Covid-19 spread we have to channel the event through technology space.”

She added that the event would also have robust debates and participation of CNN, BBC, VOA, and German media with the use of English and French as languages of communication.

Agencies expected at the conference are International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Tony Elemelu Foundation, SEEFAR, National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria and others from Europe, Asia, India, and the United Kingdom.