The International Labour Organization (ILO), through the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) programme, organised a Technical Tripartite Workshop under the theme "Formulating skills partnerships for Labour migration in the East and Horn of Africa region (EHoA)" from 20 – 22 June 2023 in Kampala, Uganda, in order to enhance intraregional and interregional skills partnerships for labour migration.
The Technical Tripartite workshop brought together 51 participants from Ministries and government institutions working on employment, labour migration and skills development, Public Employment Services (PES) agencies, Private Employment Agencies (PrEAs), national and regional social partners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania. Regional economic communities namely IGAD and EAC, were also in attendance.
The workshop deepened participants' understanding of skills partnerships for labour migration, drawing on experiences and best practices from various countries and programs. This increased awareness and allowed participants to identify existing opportunities and entry points for skills partnerships within the EHoA region. It also fostered the exchange of ideas for improving skills development through partnerships, including harmonisation of training standards and mutual recognition of skills.
The Tripartite workshop also facilitated collaboration and networking among participants, enabling peer learning and the sharing of practices and initiatives. Rotational experience exchanges among Member States created a platform for discussing skills partnership programs, strengthening regional cooperation, and enhancing labour migration governance through social dialogue. Moreover, the workshop provided insights from case studies and examples of skills partnerships and recognition programs from other regions, offering valuable best practices for implementation within the EHoA region.
In addition, the workshop yielded tangible outcomes in the form of a conceptualised skills partnership agreement among participating countries. This agreement formalised cooperation, strengthened labour migration governance, and fostered multi-stakeholder involvement. By exchanging knowledge, discussing policy and legal environments, and identifying sources of labour market information, participants laid the groundwork for the future implementation of skills partnerships. These achievements demonstrate progress towards improving skills development, promoting effective labour migration governance, and realising the potential of migrant workers in the EHoA region.
