ARLAC Hosts Tripartite Partners from 11 Member States to Strengthen Labour Migration Governance

Posted August 4, 2026

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The African Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC) recently convened a Tripartite Workshop on Enhancing Labour Migration Governance: Adapting Policies and Technical Assistance to Evolving Migration Dynamics, bringing together government, employers’ and workers’ representatives from 11 ARLAC member countries: Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The workshop was held at the ARLAC Campus in Harare from 27–31 July 2026.

The workshop was organised in response to a capacity-building need identified by ARLAC’s Principal Secretaries, Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General, and approved by the ARLAC Governing Council. It aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to respond to evolving labour migration dynamics by promoting rights-based labour migration governance, enhancing policy adaptation, improving labour market information systems, integrating gender and social inclusion, and strengthening technical assistance and policy coherence.

Following intensive discussions, participants acknowledged emerging labour migration challenges, including outdated labour migration legislation, inadequate implementation of regional frameworks, limited reintegration mechanisms for returning migrant workers, increasing numbers of undocumented migrant workers, and the growing participation of women and platform workers in migration flows. They also recognised opportunities presented by international labour standards, regional economic communities, social dialogue platforms, and partnerships with organisations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other United Nations agencies.

The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen labour migration governance across member states through a practical implementation workplan. Participants resolved to:

• review, update and harmonise labour migration laws and policies in line with regional and international standards;
• promote fair and ethical recruitment by strengthening oversight of recruitment agencies and enforcing the ILO Fair Recruitment Guidelines;
• establish sustainable reintegration mechanisms for returning migrant workers;
• develop bilateral labour migration agreements and memoranda of understanding that incorporate the portability of social security;
• strengthen labour market information systems to generate comprehensive and reliable migration data; and
• mainstream gender equality and social inclusion within labour migration policies and programmes.
  The agreed workplan provides a roadmap for collaborative action by governments, employers’ organisations, workers’ organisations, development partners, and civil society over the coming years. Through these commitments, ARLAC and its member states reaffirm their dedication to promoting safe, orderly, rights-based, and inclusive labour migration systems that contribute to decent work, stronger labour administration, and sustainable socio-economic development across the region.