BILATERAL COOPERATION IN THE IMMIGRATION SECTOR

Nigeria is one of the Countries from where the influx of direct migration towards Italy originates. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Nigerian citizens legally residing in Italy, as at 31st May 2004, are 24,893.  The Nigerian community in Italy has doubled in the last five years (11,378 in 1998, 19,505 in 2002, up to 24,986 in 2003) an increment which is principally female oriented.

Italy’s immigration  policy is based on the assumption  that it is not possible to obtain any significant results, in terms  of immigration control and combating illegal immigration, without the co-operation of the immigrants’ home countries. This has led Italy to establishing a wide-ranging network of readmission agreements, to lay down the procedures and the formalities for identifying and repatriating illegal immigrants.

Nigeria is the only Sub-Saharan African country to have signed a readmission agreement with Italy (Rome, on 12th  September 2000), ratified by the Nigerian Authorities on 30th November 2002. The agreement provides for the readmission of respective citizens whose positions are found to be irregular, as well as - on the Italian part - technical and material assistance, training courses, and cooperation in the area of control of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, which form part of the integration process of the readmitted persons in their national society.

In the framework of the bilateral cooperation in combating illegal immigration, Italy donated to Nigerian Government equipments and goods:
• in 2002 (for over 2,5 million US$);
• a second and third batch took place in 2004 (with goods worth 786.135 Euro);
• in 2005 and 2006 (for a value of about 4 million Euro). Goods are donated for distribution among governmental agencies involved in immigration control, monitoring and investigation of human trafficking (Nigeria Immigration Service, The Nigeria Police, NAPTIP – National Agency for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Moreover, the decision to grant for the first time in 2002 a reserved entry-quota of admittance into Italy in favour of 500 Nigerian workers has been a recognition of the collaboration efforts on combating illegal immigration.
Nigeria is the only Sub-Saharan African country to benefit from it.  Such quota was confirmed in 2003 (200 units) and was multiplied ten times in 2004 and 2005 (2,000 units) and 2006 (2,500 units).

In the field of curbing the trafficking of human beings, Italy fully financed a multi-bilateral programme of 776,000 euro worth, to prevent and combat the trafficking of children and women  from Nigeria to Italy.
The project was implemented by UNICRI and UNODC (United Nations Organization on Drugs and Crime), and its first phase - covering 18 months from beginning 2002 until April  2004 -  has been successfully achieved. During this phase, bilateral cooperation has been strenghtened:
- by creating in both countries a  task force against human trafficking from Nigeria to Italy;
- the Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2003 between the  Procurator General of Nigeria and the Italian Direzione Nazionale Antimafia, related to the fight against trafficking and organized crime.
- by establishing a National Monitoring Center in Abuja, managed by  NAPTIP (National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other related matters) with the aim to exchanging information and creating  a data bank  of victims involved and rescued from trafficking.
- rehabilitation and reitegration activities in Benin City (Edo State), by providing micro-credit to help the victims acquire skills and set up small businesses of their own.

The second phase of the project has been financed in 2006 by the Italian Cooperation, totalling 1,9 million Euro.

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