Africa is a continent that is characterized by the highest number of the youngest population in the world. According to the 2023 World Youth Report issued by the United Nations, the Sub-Saharan African region has the largest percentage of young people of any region, with an estimated 70% of the population under the age of 30.
Such a high number of young population, as many agreed, if empowered, given appropriate opportunities to work, actively involved in their respective countries’ overall activities and utilized accordingly, is an opportunity for the continent’s growth.
However, due to a number of push and pull factors, hundreds of thousands of young people run away from their homelands, seeking better opportunities in other countries. Unfortunately, in most cases, the journeys are carried out in an irregular way, exposing themselves to unpredictable risks and dangers.
Seeing the importance of legal migration, countries are endeavoring unwaveringly to curb illegal migration through devising strategies and creating awareness among the youth to take the safest way—regular migration.
As part of this effort, over the past four days, ministers in the East and Horn of Africa held discussions and deliberated on ways to harmonize labor migration policies in the East and Horn of Africa through a united approach to safe, regular, and human labor migration thereby maximize the benefits of greater regional integration on human mobility.
At this forum- the 5th Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) – held in Addis Ababa under the theme “Harnessing the power of regular migration pathways for youth employment, skills development, and green economy”, ministers and technical delegates drawn from 11 countries in the region including Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda took part, ENA reported.
Speaking at the event, in which Ethiopia was chairing, Labor and Skills State Minister, Daniel Teressa, said that within the past few months, the RMFM has been gaining momentum through the revitalization of National and Regional Technical Committees as per the Operating Modalities of the RMFM.
This cooperation between and among countries will make migration management in the region easier. The forum is of great importance to allow free movement of people in the region, to make the works undertaken in the sector effective, to share experiences, protect the rights of migrants and identify gaps in the area.
Ethiopia has discharged its responsibilities as chair for nearly two years in terms of laying ground works for the Regional Ministerial Forum Meeting in addition to hosting two technical working group meetings and high-level forums.
According to him, as a member of RMFM and the outgoing chair, Ethiopia, will continue supports the efforts of RMFM to achieve its noble visions of ensuring dignified human migration governance in the region and beyond. He further stressed that by integrating the aspects of labor migration with critical domains such as skills development, employment opportunities for youth, reintegration of returnees, gender considerations in migration, job creation, consular services, and diaspora engagement, members will anticipate obtaining valuable perspectives to advance the Regular Migration for Employment (RMFE) Initiative.
By exploring the intersections between these areas, member states have a goal to gain insights that will drive RMFE forward and enhance its effectiveness in addressing the various dimensions of labor migration.
This integrated approach will enable member countries to leverage the potential of labor migration to not only fill skill gaps and create employment opportunities but also ensure inclusive and gender-responsive migration policies, support returning migrants, and harness the expertise and resources of diaspora communities for the benefit of both origin and destination countries, he remarked.
Speaking on her part, Chief of Mission with IOM Ethiopia, Abibatou Wane Fall said that in a region with a young population, regular pathways for mobility and skills development have crucial importance for individual migrants as well as countries.
“The RMFM serves as a valuable platform for interstate cooperation, to exchange ideas and perspectives, policies and practice alignments on labor migration and the welfare of migrant workers. In this regard, IOM stands firmly alongside the governments in the region, offering its technical assistance and support. ”
The efforts of the Ethiopian government in enhancing migration governance over the years and developing a comprehensive regulatory framework should be hailed, she further said.
As it is rapidly stated by several literatures and the experiences of some countries indicated, regular migration pathway has greater advantage to individual migrants, countries of origins and destinations because it allows the youth to have a safe journey, to protect their rights and their interests in host countries.
In this regard, the regular pathway has a significant role in promoting youth employment, skills development, and the green economy in East African countries and in the region. By establishing mechanisms for legal and orderly migration, these pathways can facilitate the movement of young people to countries where there is demand for skilled and semi-skilled human capital, while also providing opportunities for them to acquire new knowledge and experience. It also enables them to acquire the needed skill development as young people gain new knowledge and experience through exposure to different work environments, technologies and practices. In other words, by experiencing regular migration, youth can obtain the valuable skills that are in demand for their country as well as for their future.
In this respect, the Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) will have considerable benefits in strengthening cooperation among member countries in the Horn and the region, and curbing problems associated with illegal migration, sensitizing the young people pertaining to the risky journey and helping them to follow the safest way.
The 5th Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) was organized by the Ministry of Labor and Skills in collaboration with UN International Organization for Migration (IOM).
At the forum, including Ethiopia, member countries in the region, representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, official’s member countries participated.
BY LEULSEGED WORKU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 1 MARCH 2024
