Climate-Induced Migration and Disaster Resilience Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa: Assessing Policy Coherence Between the Sendai Framework, Global Compact for Migration, and African Union Instruments

Climate-induced migration represents one of the most consequential yet understudied intersections between environmental hazard, human mobility, and governance in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper examines the degree to which national disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks across the region are coherent with international migration governance instruments, specifically the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM, 2018), and the African Union (AU) Migration Policy Framework for Africa. Drawing on a comparative policy analysis of selected case study countries (Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Niger) alongside evidence from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the study finds significant structural misalignment between DRR and migration governance architectures, resulting in protection gaps for climate-displaced populations and diminished community resilience in both origin and destination contexts. The paper argues that bridging these policy silos through integrated multi-level governance mechanisms is not only normatively desirable but operationally necessary for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets in the region. Recommendations for policy coherence, institutional coordination, and community-level resilience programming are advanced.