MEC Hosts JIFORM Continental Migration Summit In USA

By Our Reporter

…Ramsey, Gerry, Prof Price, Lumumba Lead Presentations

The Medgar Evers College (MEC) of the foremost urban, City University New York City, US is set to host the 2022 Journalists International Forum For Migration (JIFORM) Intercontinental Migration Summit at its campus in Brooklyn between November 2-4.

The hybrid event both in persons and virtual is themed: Appraising Human Mobility and Security: Prospects and the New Challenges of Labour Migration Post Pandemic Era.   A statement signed by the President of the JIFORM, Dr Ajibola Abayomi said invitations had been extended to the President Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, his counter from Malawi, Chakwera Lazarus, and a member of the African Union Labour Migration Advisory Committee, Dr Princess Kabuki Ocansey from Ghana while the summit would feature speakers and participants from several continents.   He added that the event was put together to serve as capacity building for journalists, academics and other migration stakeholders to contribute to the policy direction on migration and its importance to humanity and the economy.   Leading the pack of scholars from the School of business, MEC, the 16th President of MEC and member of board of trustee of CUNY, Dr Patricia Ramsey,    Dr. Jo-Ann Rolle, the Dean of MEC, Professor Byron Price,  Antionette Coleman (Senior VP & Provost of MEC), Dr. Nathifa Forde, the Deputy Executive Director with the NYC Young Men’s Initiative (YMI).

Other distinguished speakers apart from the JIFORM President include the former Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Hon Gerry Weiner, Professor Patrick Lumumba from Kenya, member African Union Labour Migration Advisory Committee, Her Excellency, Dr. Princess Asie Kabuki Ocansey, Minister of Labour and Social Security Sierra Leone; Dr. Alpha Timbo, Captain Vergil Ratliff, the Texas Comptroller of Accounts- Criminal Investigation Division, Chief Vera Bumpers Metro.

Dr Ajibola hinted that several personalities across the continents have been noted for awards adding. Participants and other visitors are advised to contact to Raquel Bennett one of the coordinators of the summit through:  rbennett@mec.cuny.ed acquire to acquire tickets for the summit.

Medgar Evers College has the distinction of being the youngest of the four-year senior colleges in The City University of New York. In the early 1960’s, the Central Brooklyn community recognized the need and expressed a desire for a local public college.

After many discussions and much involvement by community residents and the Coalition, the Board of Higher Education, on November 17, 1967, “approved the sponsorship of Community College Number VII, with the indication of an intention to admit students in the Fall of l969.”

The JIFORM reachable on www.jiformalert.org  is a non- profit / Non Governmental Organization media foundation comprising over 300 journalists covering migration matters across the continents with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. Since its inauguration in 2019, the organization has become a force on migration matters staging an annual global migration summit apart from other activities both within and outside Africa.

JIFORM was at the International Organization For Migration (IOM) International’s global training for journalists in 2019 in Tunisia where a charter was developed by journalists for migration coverage. In Africa, the body has held a series of workshops and training programmes for journalists and other stakeholders and engagements with the IOM Nigeria, Gambia, and Ghana.

In February 25-26, 2021, the body organized the maiden African Migration Summit (AMS) in Accra, Ghana in partnership with the Nekotech Center for Labour Diplomacy and pioneered the West African Media Migration Summit in Togo on June 22-23, 2021.

For the record, over 3000 journalists apart from other stakeholders from Africa and other continents have benefited from several workshops put in place by the media body to promote advocacy on safe, orderly, and regular migration over the years. JIFORM in 2021 published a book on migration terminologies and concepts titled: Guide To Migration Reportage also subtitled in French as part of contributions to increase knowledge on migration matters.

The 3rd Global migration summit of the JIFORM was held in Canada ended On October 15 with special award session postponed till a later date in Toronto.

It has training partnership for journalists with the Medgar Evers College, City University, New York, USA and the ESCAE University, Porto Novo, Benin Republic, and other institutions in Nigeria.