A migration behaviour change campaign in Niger

2026-07-22

Aim This campaign in Niger aims to reduce irregular migrant arrivals in Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece and Cyprus, reducing the burden on those countries of first arrival. In addition, it will also reduce the numbers of migrants reaching other EU countries such as France, Germany, The Netherlands, Austria, The UK, Sweden and Denmark through onward migration. At the same time, it will provide much needed information to potential irregular migrants to enable them to make more informed decisions. Migrants are able to move north through Niger to Libya or Algeria with relative ease, opening the way to Europe. That means a campaign in Niger needs to effectively engage not just Nigeriens, but also Malians, Senegalese, Gambians and people from Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin and the Ivory Coast. Niger is the final turn-back point before most migrants become over-committed to a European irregular migration journey. This campaign is based on research into migrant decision-making that shows: • Migrant decision-making is complex, non-linear and involves many different elements. • Simplistic, unidirectional messages do not change behaviour. At best they only stimulate discussion or reinforce messages delivered through trusted personal engagements. • Superficial engagement does not change behaviour. Engagement needs to be tailored to the unique motivations of the individual and delivered by trusted sources. Activity The campaign will therefore distribute information through integrated trusted sources to drive behaviour change by combining: 1. Media engagement; 2. Online and social media outreach; with 3. Direct community influence at the heart of the campaign. The campaign aims to engage with 110,000 potential irregular migrants from multiple nationalities through in-person consultations, network sharing, events, hotlines, the media and online.

Belgium, United Kingdom

2026-02-01