The 3rd Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Ministerial Conference on Labour, Employment and Labour Migration closed on Wednesday, 22nd October 2025, in Nairobi.
The meeting brought together ministers, labour experts, and social partners from across the Horn of Africa to strengthen cooperation on decent work, job creation, and safe migration.
The three-day congregation, organised by IGAD in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and supported by the European Union (EU), was themed “Improving Labour Migration and Mobility Governance for Prosperity.”
Representatives at the summit were from IGAD’s eight member states including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The aim of the summit was to review progress on the Djibouti Declaration on Labour, Employment and Labour Migration, adopted in 2017, and to agree on new regional actions for decent work and safe migration.
Speaking on the last day of the conference, Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to regional cooperation and worker protection under the IGAD framework.
“We will work with IGAD and negotiate as a bloc for good working conditions, salaries, and packages,” he said.
“Kenya is committed to regional cooperation under IGAD’s framework, particularly in advancing human mobility that supports both development and stability.”
He also noted: “At the end of the day, we need to be able to provide enough jobs for our people without sending them away,” and warned: “Human trafficking continues to be a challenge… people leave with visitor or tourist visas, promised good jobs, but when they get there, they find they are in trouble.”
IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu painted a vivid picture of the region’s labour landscape, saying more than 60 percent of the IGAD population is under 25, yet job opportunities remain limited.
“Across our region, 62 million people face acute food insecurity while 25 million have been forcibly displaced. Our region of 280 million people—60 % under age 25—should have its youthful energy as our greatest asset. Instead, youth joblessness is reaching 28%.”
“Every year, 1.5 million of our citizens migrate to the Middle East and Gulf countries seeking work. Over the past decade, this route has claimed more than 3,000 lives. We need functioning bilateral labour agreements that protect workers’ rights—not just manage flows.”
“This is our moment to move from statements to systems, from aspiration to action.”
The IGAD region continues to grapple with high unemployment and labour informality, which have forced thousands of young people to risk irregular migration routes through the Red Sea and other dangerous paths. Many migrants end up in exploitative or unsafe working conditions.
Souleimon Meïmin Robleh, Secretary General in Djibouti’s Ministry of Interior, highlighted the importance of regional integration.
“Regional mobility is not a threat—it is an engine for shared development. Through IGAD’s Free Movement Protocol, we are building a future where borders connect rather than divide our people and economies.”
South Sudan’s Acting Minister of Interior, Mangar Buong Acok, added:
“No country can manage migration alone. Cross-border cooperation is essential to combat human trafficking, promote legal pathways, and ensure safe and dignified movement for our citizens.”
Representatives from the ILO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reaffirmed their support for IGAD’s labour migration agenda. Nihan Erdogen, Deputy Regional Director of IOM East, Horn and Southern Africa, said:
“Fair migration is only possible when workers’ rights are upheld. The ILO continues to support IGAD and its Member States to ensure ethical recruitment, portability of benefits and access to social protection.”
The conference also reviewed progress on the IGAD Single Visa Initiative, aimed at easing movement of workers, and the Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance Project (FMPT II)—a new EU-funded initiative that supports freer movement and stronger labour governance across the region
