African Union member states on Sunday vowed to build institutional capacity to boost management and integration of migrants.

The delegates gathered in Nairobi for the seventh biennial Continental African Public Service Day (APSD) said that the public service needs to rethink how to document migrants in Africa so that it is more responsive to the free movement of people and interconnects the migrants with relevant people in both their country of origin and host country.

"We urge countries to extend social security benefits to migrants and integrate them in the budgeting processes," said a joint communique issued after the closure of the forum.

The African public service practitioners said that there is lack of awareness of migration law, civic duties, and pan-African ideals without which it is difficult for indigenous populations to integrate migrants in their new abode.

The participants also resolved that there is need to promote diaspora participation in national affairs through use of technology.

Joseph Kinyua, head of Kenya's public service, said that public service across Africa faces the challenge of fading trust by citizens as well as reluctance to adapt to emerging technology.

"Corruption, inefficiency and ineptitude have weakened the trust, which is indispensable for effective public service," Kinyua said. 

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