General News
THE International Labour Organisation (ILO) has appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the approval of the revised National Policy on Labour Migration.
Director, ILO Abuja Country Office, Ms. Vanessa Phala, made the call in Abuja during a workshop for the validation of the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar Training Manual and Gender Mainstreaming Strategy Development by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
She also called for the speedy ratification of ILO Conventions 143 and 181, seeing that these Conventions provide promise for protecting Nigerian migrant workers and their families across the migration cycle.
Phala said: “I would also utilise this golden opportunity to draw the attention of the Permanent Secretary to deploy her good offices in expediting relevant next steps required for a approval of the revised National Policy on Labour Migration which was validated with support from the ILO within the framework of the FAIRWAY programme over a year ago, including finalising these resources being validated here in view of a formal launch which the ILO again stands committed to support.
“Recalling that I was honoured to deliver an opening remark at a two-day national sensitisation workshop on the ratification of ILO Conventions 143 and 181, convened by the Ministry in August 2021, we look forward to information regarding the deposition of instruments of ratification of these conventions by the government of Nigeria, seeing that they provide promise for protecting Nigerian migrant workers and their families across the migration cycle.
“ILO’s global mandate in promoting decent work for all, especially through guidance that facilitates standardised practices, thereby advancing the effectiveness of labour markets, further informs this collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria through which these resources have been developed.”
The ILO boss also expressed delight following the collaboration between her organisation and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to develop a training manual to be used during Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars (PDOS), as well as a Gender Mainstreaming Strategy (GMS) for the International Labour Migration Division (ILMD) of the Ministry.
According to her, opportunities for employment beyond borders, coupled with evolving dynamics of global labour markets, propels sustained relevance and discourse of the effectiveness of labour migration, including through enhancing availability and operationalisation of accompanying frameworks and mechanisms for a well governed process.
In her address, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms Kachollom Daju, said the Federal Government is determined to facilitate fair and orderly labour migration to better protect migrant workers and enable them to contribute to sustainable development in their countries of origin and destination.
Daju stated that as part of the implementation of the National Policy on Labour Migration 2014, the Ministry has established three Migrant Resource Centres in Abuja, Lagos and Edo states to promote regular labour migration flow, provide accurate and up-to-date information, assist labour migrants make informed decisions about their employment offers and countries of destination while providing referral services and reintegration services for return migrants.
She commended the efforts of the ILO in collaborating with the Ministry to develop a Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) training manual and Gender Mainstreaming Strategy (GMS) for the International Labour Division of the Ministry to strengthen capacity and complement gender related initiatives and programmes within the framework of the FAIRWAY global project.
The FAIRWAY project is an inter-regional development cooperation project aimed at improving conditions of labour migration across migration pathways from Africa to Arab states.
-The Nation
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Tags: ILO Kachollom Daju Vanessa Phala
