Migration and Inequality in the Burkina Faso–Côte d’Ivoire corridor

This chapter shows that the current migration between Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire perpetuates a problem that was produced and amplified during the colonial period. As for the contribution of migration to the development of Burkina Faso, it remains ambivalent. Some research suggests that migration has a positive contribution, while others suggest that this is not the case. The impact of migration is perceived differently depending on whether the problem is approached from a micro or macro perspective. Even if migration helps poor households through the transfer of resources, migration also creates inequalities: inequalities between children whose parents migrate and those who do not, inequalities between households that do and don’t receive remittances, and gender inequalities. Once they arrive in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso migrants (Burkinabè) face difficulties regarding their foreign status. Based on data collected in Côte d’Ivoire within the framework of the MIDEQ Hub, this chapter also highlights the inequalities experienced by Burkinabè in Côte d’Ivoire including inequalities in access to employment, land, rights and citizenship.