Impact of Political Instability on Expatriate Populations: Key Considerations for Companies

In 2023, approximately 10 African countries are holding elections, with those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Madagascar quickly approaching. Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Gabon have already held their elections.

Amidst an already active political year, ongoing military coups are affecting various countries in West and Central Africa. As these coups result in political and economic unrest, many organisations in these areas are concerned about the coups’ impacts on their businesses and employees.

Rise of military coups and their impacts

Since 2020, the West and Central African region has experienced approximately eight military coups. Also known as the “coup belt,” the region’s affected areas include countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Guinea and Sudan in East Africa. Many in the region are also concerned that coups may spread to neighbouring countries.

Political and economic instability—as evidenced across the region from the recent coups—have a significant impact on companies operating in these countries, as their business operations and ability to move their resources are directly affected. The impact is even greater if these organisations have expatriate populations present in the countries during the insurgencies.

In the current environment, companies must be prepared in advance in terms of crisis planning and management, as these events can happen suddenly. As evidenced by prior coups across the region, once a coup takes place, land, air and sea borders often quickly close, making it impossible to move in or out of the country. Public services are also frequently suspended without warning or an anticipated return date. In some instances, even diplomatic relations are suspended, which puts a major strain on foreign relations and complicates the evacuation of affected nationals.

A proactive approach is necessary to ensure that in the event of instability, expatriates know what to do and where to go for assistance. A detailed crisis management strategy outlining these plans is essential and often requires companies to enlist the services of experienced and professional partners.

Crisis management and audit

Fragomen encourages organisations to have crisis management policies in place to help proactively address potential issues and provide a framework for employees to follow in case of insurgency.

Companies are also encouraged to conduct audits of their expatriate populations across the globe, including short-term business travellers who are often overlooked. The audit will be able to provide a clear picture of numbers, host locations and immigration statuses, as well as assist in identifying gaps in a company’s processes and systems to promote a culture of compliance to be resilient in changing times.

Fragomen assists companies with tracking their populations, as well as the expiry of permits and visas around the world and registering their employees with their consular posts in new countries where they are posted as part of its end-to-end immigration program.

This service is vital in enabling consular posts to know the number of their nationals in a specific country and to include them in their evacuation plans. The diplomatic posts are often at the heart of negotiating emergency evacuations and ensuring the general safety of their nationals in a crisis. These activities are easier to facilitate if expatriates are registered and their addresses and details are available. 

Need to know more?

In these uncertain times, a proactive approach towards crisis management is critical for companies to protect their global talent. The use of specialized immigration providers can go a long way in ensuring that companies are prepared for an array of challenges.

For further information on this topic or to seek guidance, please contact Director Caroline Kanzara-Obinwa at [email protected].

This blog was published on 3 October 2023, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.