South Sudan’s Deputy Minister of Interior, Gen. Mangar Buong, addresses the 3rd IGAD Ministerial Conference on Labour, Employment and Labour Migration in Nairobi, Kenya – October 20, 2025
NAIROBI, Kenya (Eye Radio) – Senior experts and regional ministers have gathered in Nairobi for the Third IGAD Ministerial Conference on Labor, Employment and Labor Migration.
According to the media report, the three-day conference, attended by South Sudan’s Minister of Interior and Labor and running from October 20–22, 2025, centers on the critical theme: “Improving Labor Migration and Mobility Governance for Prosperity in the IGAD Region.”
The high-level event, hosted at the Argyle Hotel, brings together ministers of labor and interior from the eight IGAD member states—Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda—alongside key representatives from the African Union, ILO, IOM, and the European Union.
The meeting aims to accelerate regional efforts toward achieving fair, safe, and productive labor mobility, building on the foundation set by the 2021 Djibouti Declaration.
In opening remarks, dignitaries—including Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Labor, Dr. Alfred Mutua, and the EU Ambassador to IGAD—underscored the urgency of strengthening regional labor migration systems to respond to growing challenges of unemployment, forced migration, and exploitation.
Migration Crisis and Exploitation
The high-level gathering comes against a backdrop of alarming statistics.
The IGAD Secretariat emphasized that despite the region’s GDP per capita rising by 7% between 2021 and 2022, this growth has failed to create meaningful jobs for the 60% of its population who are of working age.
As a result, the Horn of Africa remains one of the continent’s most dynamic yet complex migration hubs.
International migration in the region grew sharply from 3.6 million in 2012 to 7.5 million in 2022, with the majority being workers seeking livelihoods, particularly in the Middle East. With limited legal migration channels, many are forced onto irregular routes, exposing them to abuse.
Official figures show that over the past decade, more than 3,400 migrants have died or gone missing along the Red Sea route between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Focus on the Single Visa Initiative
Against this pressing humanitarian and economic reality, ministers will deliberate on three core themes: strengthening governance of labor and employment, addressing the challenges of irregular migration through the Red Sea Route, and advancing the IGAD Single Visa Initiative.
The Single Visa Initiative is described as a bold step toward facilitating free movement and regional integration.
It seeks to establish a harmonized digital visa system and a regional biometric ID card, mirroring successful harmonization models from ECOWAS and the East African Community.
Proponents argue this initiative could transform IGAD into one of Africa’s most integrated blocs, easing border procedures, stimulating investment, and positioning the Horn of Africa as a competitive global destination for trade and tourism.
Recommendations generated by technical experts from all eight member states will feed into the Ministerial session on October 22, culminating in the Nairobi Communiqué.
The outcome of the meeting is anticipated to mark a new chapter in regional cooperation, with ministers expected to reaffirm their pledge to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration while promoting decent work for all.
