BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
Migrant workers contribute to growth and development in their countries of destination, while countries of origin greatly benefit from remittances and the skills the migrant workers acquire during their stay in destination countries. Yet, the migration process implies complex challenges in terms of governance, migrant workers’ protection, migration and development linkages, and international cooperation. The International Labor Organization (ILO) works to forge policies to maximize the benefits of labor migration for all those involved.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also strives to protect migrant workers and to optimize the benefits of labor migration for both the country of origin and destination as well as for the migrants themselves. This is because of the fact that many migrant workers from developing countries especially in East Africa travel informally, putting them at increased risk of exploitation and abuse. There have been concerted continental, regional, and national efforts aimed at improving information and exchange around labor mobility, gender sensitive migration governance, and regional integration in the region.
The migration patterns have varied as the countries of the region adopted the concept of regional integration through formation of the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Regional integration is a process of creating a sense of community among member states with the aim of developing a centralized system where decisions are made jointly. This concept requires that strategic steps are taken by members within the bloc to strengthen engagement by establishing a trading area, customs union, common market, economic union, and finally political union.
The region is characterized by various mixed migration flows that have peaked and ebbed at various points due to disparate intraregional dynamics. Labor migration is the movement of persons across identifiable geographical boundaries for the main purpose of an exchange of their labor for remuneration involving people with diverse socio-demographic characteristics such as age, sex, skills, and educational backgrounds. Labor migrants move internally, intraregionally and internationally in search of income /employment opportunities.
East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) hosts four of the ten countries on the continent with the largest number of immigrants (Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan). Equally important is the fact that East Africa is a large and dynamic market with close to 177 million people, the majority being youth and ready to enter the labor market or seek opportunities abroad due to increased unemployment in countries of origin. Due to this, migrant workers and their families are crucial variable in the economic wellbeing of East and Horn of Africa states as well as migrant worker destination countries. According to IOM/UN Regional Director for East and Horn of Africa, Mohammed Abdiker, labor mobility and labor migration have immense potential to bring socio-economic benefits to countries of origin and destination.
In his remarks during the closing event of the 4th Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) of East and Horn of Africa held from 13th to the 17th of March, 2023 in Addis Ababa Abdiker noted that over 21 million Africans are living and working in another African country and millions more outside the continent. Labor mobility and labor migration are major drivers of this movement of people across borders in East and Horn of Africa.
The region hosts seven of the fifteen largest intercontinental mobility corridors, he underscored. The IOM official pointed out that migrant workers within and outside the East and Horn of Africa region remain among the most vulnerable to loss of economic opportunities, eviction and homelessness, abuse and exploitation as well as stigmatization and exclusion from essential services.
The RMFM and its theme for this year, “Labor Mobility, Migration Governance and Regional Integration in East and Horn of Africa”, according to Abdiker, is central to the development of the East and Horn of Africa. “It is encouraging to see that under the Chairmanship of the Government of Ethiopia, we have made substantial progress by adopting and activating five Technical Working Groups (TWG)”, he noted.
He appreciated the Technical Working Group from the Ministries of Labor, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Gender of the 11 Member States of the RMFM for their contributions and tireless efforts. The Regional Director also urged member states to explore ways in which the outcomes and recommendations of these Working Groups can feed into national migration governance plans. He affirmed that IOM and its partners stand ready to work closely with all of the member states in order to achieve the necessary reforms.
It is stated that one of the objectives of the RMFM is to share good practices and information on labor migration governance. “Collectively, we must commit to ensuring that EHOA stands as a united block committed to providing adequate protection to migrant workers and their families at the time of Bilateral labor migration agreements (BLMAs) drafting, negotiation, implementation and evaluation with countries of destination, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union, but also beyond”, Abdiker remarked.
Labor and Skills Minister of Ethiopia, Muferihat Kamil, for her part said that RMFM Ministerial Meeting interestingly has come just a few weeks after the AU Heads of State Summit, which underscored the necessity of regional integration and development in free trade that, however, is hardly realized without free, humane, dignified and regular mobility of labor in the region at least and across the continent and beyond at large.
“The need for gatherings of key stakeholders in the area of labor mobility, migration governance and regional integration such as this, can never be overstressed. It is common knowledge that this area is facing new challenges which are particularly urgent to be addressed. In our continental and regional context, the issue of labor mobility and gender-sensitive labor migration governance is essentially interconnected with other issues such as the informal economy; migrant workers and members of their families; the employment relationship and social protection, which all need due research, deliberation and action,” she noted.
Eritrea’s statement to the 4th RMFM reads Eritrean migrants have been leaving their country because of complex pull factors that are politically motivated (on one hand granting preferential treatment, on the other imposing varied restrictions such as not allowing migrants to send remittances and movement restrictions back to their home country). Such hitches impact implementation of some of the proposed recommendations greatly.
Eritrean’s option for conducting comprehensive implementation in TWGs recommendations is a humble request for human and institutional capacity building assistance to all stakeholders who are directly or indirectly engaged with labor migrants. Eritrea is also keen to learn and share from this forum and other opportunities from best practices. This has already been discussed in detail with IOM senior technical expert.
Deputy Head of Mission of United Republic of Tanzania to Ethiopia Ali Sakila Bujiku said that Labor migration is a development agenda as a source of remittance inflows, skills and technology transfer, and in reducing the pressure of unemployment in the countries. The challenges associated with labor migration are obvious and all rotate around deprivation of human rights and basic labor rights of migrant workers explicitly noticed for domestic workers and majority of unskilled migrant workers.
“It is in this vein therefore, we appeal to all governments in this region that, while we put efforts in devising and strengthening our internal capacities in terms of policies, institutional and regulatory frameworks, it is equally important to take collaborative actions towards addressing the challenges related to labor migration,” he underscored.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 24 MARCH 2023
