ABSTRACT
The Burkina Faso–Côte d’Ivoire migration corridor is an almost century-old exchange originating in French colonial policy to develop the Burkinabè territory as a labour reservoir. Six decades on from independence, Côte d’Ivoire is the main destination for migrants from Burkina Faso and likewise, Burkinabè are the largest migrant group in Côte d’Ivoire, with labour migration as the primary focus of the exchange. This chapter outlines the historical development of the corridor and goes on to examine its impact on development between and within the two countries. It finds that, despite the mass flight of the Burkinabè in 1999 and subsequently in Côte d’Ivoire’s civil war, their social ties have been sustained through diaspora and community associations. However, the chapter also identifies chronic patterns of underdevelopment and dependency. Côte d’Ivoire as the better-off country relies on export crops and has faced political crisis and economic shocks, while the Burkinabè are dependent on migration as a household survival strategy under unstable conditions.
