Sampling and data collection

In late 2018, Xchange conducted fieldwork to obtain first-hand data from migrants transiting Niger. The cross-sectional survey took place in Agadez, Niger, between November 5 and December 4, 2018. The data were collected using a purposive sampling technique, where only ‘returning’ migrants were targeted and sampled. Here, a ‘returning’ migrant is defined as any African migrant who had reached either Libya or Algeria, and who – irrespective of whether their intention was to continue travelling outside of the African continent or not – ended up in Agadez. Xchange aimed to include a diverse group of respondents to capture a broad picture of the migratory routes reaching a sample size of 189 migrants. The collected spatial data allowed for the mapping of 185 journeys.