This Think Piece addresses the issue of the development impacts of migration in the Angolan context, and seeks to identify the specific opportunities and challenges posed by this phenomenon. It has been written within the context of the wide-ranging consultation process that agencies and institutions linked in various ways to the United Nations system have been undertaking throughout the world, with a view to incorporating a wide range of contributions into the formulation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

The significance of migration and its impacts upon present-day societies, all of which have been enhanced by globalization, is an indisputable fact that decision-makers, as well as a whole range of other public and private actors, need to consider carefully and adequately. The main patterns and trends of migration in the Angolan context have been experiencing some significant recent changes – and the consequences of these changes are not easy to perceive, understand, ascertain or manage by those in charge of steering and implementing development strategies at various levels.

This Think Piece draws mainly on a critical review of the available secondary literature, although it also incorporates insights resulting from interviews undertaken by the author with a variety of relevant primary sources in the context of a recently-completed study on internal migration, urbanisation and health in Angola. One key conclusion stands out: In the context of present-day Angola, adequate and effective policies aimed at reducing poverty and bringing about inclusive human development must inevitably take migration into account, and should ideally seek to mainstream it into public policy.