Pan-African course strengthens capacities for effective labour migration governance

Labour Migration in Africa

Pan-African course strengthens capacities for effective labour migration governance

The ILO in collaboration with the ITC-ILO organized the capacity building to promote rights-based and gender-responsive migration governance in Africa.

24 April 2025

Addis Ababa, ILO News - As per the recently released ILO Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers, there are 14.3 million international migrants in the labour force in Africa as of 2022. Given the significance of the labour migration and mobility in the African continent, the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) project, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) funded- Labour, Employment and Mobility actions of the AU-ILO-IOM Programme on Labour Migration Governance for development and integration in Africa (JLMP-Lead), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)-funded Catalytic Actions for the AU/ILO/IOM/UNECA Joint Programme on Labour Migration Governance for Development and Integration in Africa (JLMP-Action) and Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment (FAIR-III), the European Union (EU)- funded Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region (FMPT-II) and Free Movement of persons and Migration in West Africa (FMM) in collaboration with its International Training Center (ITC-ILO) organised an Executive Course on Labour Migration in Africa.

Held in hybrid format comprising of three parts, the course was conducted between 6 November 2024 - 13 December 2024; more specifically, the Online phase (E-Campus) took place from 6 November 2024 - 24 November 2024, the Residential phase was held from 25 - 29 November 2024 in Cape town, South Africa, and the Concluding Online Phase (E-Campus) was hosted from 2 - 13 December 2024.

The in-person phase in Cape Town, South Africa, built on the online preparatory phase and saw an overall proactive participation of over 66 participants representing African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), government institutions, employers' organizations, workers' organizations, regional and sub-regional social partners, private and public employment agencies from different parts of Africa where the supporting projects have on-going engagements.

The course covered wide range of cross-cutting themes pertaining to advancing fair and effective labour migration in Africa. Participants engaged in group work, plenary sessions, and thematic electives, exploring various critical aspects of labour migration governance. These included developing and implementing rights-based and gender-responsive labour migration policies as well as bilateral labour migration agreements (BLMA), mainstreaming migration in policy process, extending social protection to migrant workers and their families, understanding irregular migration, role of labour attaches in labour migration process, establishing fair recruitment practices, and skills dimension of labour migration.

Participants engaged in dynamic group work, plenary sessions, and thematic electives, exploring various critical aspects of labour migration governance. These included developing and implementing rights-based and gender-responsive policies, extending social protection to migrant workers, establishing fair recruitment practices, and integrating gender perspectives into migration governance.

Interactive sessions allowed attendees to simulate real-world policy development processes, strengthening collaboration and practical problem-solving. The training concluded with group presentations and a closing ceremony that emphasised shared commitments to advancing the labour migration agenda. Participants gained practical tools and insights to address challenges, aligning their efforts with continental frameworks such as the AU Migration Policy Framework and the Joint Labour Migration Governance Programme.

The organization of the course was supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) project, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) funded- Labour, Employment and Mobility actions of the AU-ILO-IOM Programme on Labour Migration Governance for development and integration in Africa (JLMP-Lead), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)-funded Catalytic Actions for the AU/ILO/IOM/UNECA Joint Programme on Labour Migration Governance for Development and Integration in Africa (JLMP-Action) and Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment (FAIR-III), the European Union (EU)- funded Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region (FMPT-II) and Free Movement of persons and Migration in West Africa (FMM) Projects.