South Africa will dispatch envoys across Africa and other parts of the world as part of efforts to address migration challenges and strengthen international cooperation, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday.

Speaking alongside Kenyan President William Ruto during a joint press briefing in Pretoria, Ramaphosa said migration remains a pressing issue requiring coordinated action among African nations and global partners.

“There will be envoys. There will be people that we will send not only on the continent, but also around the world,” Ramaphosa said. “What we seek to do is to ensure that the issue of migration is broadly and properly addressed, and to bring as many key role players, countries, and leaders together to work on addressing this challenge.”

The announcement comes amid heightened concerns over recent xenophobic attacks targeting immigrants in South Africa. Ramaphosa said his government was engaging sister African countries through diplomatic channels to better understand shared migration challenges and develop collective solutions.

He stressed that migration is not unique to South Africa and noted that many countries are grappling with similar pressures.

“South Africa is not the only country facing the challenge of migration,” he said. “We want to learn from how others have dealt with it and how they have addressed these complex problems.”

Ramaphosa described South Africa as an “oasis” for people seeking opportunities for various reasons, underscoring the need for regional cooperation to manage migration in a way that benefits both host countries and migrants’ countries of origin.