African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS)

The African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) is Africa’s leading scholarly institution for research and teaching on human mobility. Established in 1993, ACMS is an independent, interdisciplinary and internationally engaged institution focusing on the relationships among human movement politics, poverty, and social transformation. While oriented towards southern Africa, the Centre conducts collaborative scholarly and policy-oriented work across sub-Saharan Africa, and has partnerships in Asia, Europe and the Americas. It offers Africa’s only post-graduate degrees in migration and displacement studies and provides training to students and professionals on several topics including the sociology of migration, mobility and health, human rights, and research methods

While maintaining its scholarly independence, the Centre regularly partners with organisations in government and civil society in identifying data needs, conducting research and shaping policy. Centre staff are also regularly called on to provide expert advice and commentary to international organisations, governments, and the media.

Teaching and Research 

As part of Wits University’s School of Social Sciences, the ACMS offers Master’s and Doctoral degrees in migration and displacement studies.  Select students are encouraged to critically engage with social theory and empirical challenges by conducting independent research. Graduates find success in government, international agencies, civil society organisations and the academy.

ACMS research on international and domestic migration critically analyses how human mobility reshapes institutions, attitudes, economies and policies. Through its work, the centre influences global and regional academic research agendas, policy deliberations and civil society mobilisation. To these ends, the ACMS regularly hosts high profile seminars and public events