<p>Due to the prevalence of trafficking in human beings and the smuggling of migrants in Africa, attention has often been placed on South-North migration. Thus, human migration, trafficking, and smuggling have dominated the global discourse in recent years thereby putting human trafficking into the mainstream of migration studies. African Union (AU) has through various policy frameworks tried to criminalise and prosecute those involved in human trafficking and human smuggling in Africa. Despite various AU migration regimes to curb irregular migrations and human trafficking, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants have not abated. The article argued that traffickers and smugglers leverage on lack of harmonisation of the non-binding migration policy frameworks among AU member states to embark upon both regular and irregular migration across the state and regional borders to traffic and smuggle migrants to Europe and other destinations. The conclusion, therefore, is that AU migration policy frameworks have little impact on the campaign against human trafficking in Africa in terms of abating trafficking in persons. This has ensured that the notorious Niger/Chad/Nigeria borders have remained the ‘Triangle of Shame.’ This article is essentially a desktop study relying on qualitative analysis of secondary sources and a rigorous review of policy documents.</p>