How labour export has been streamlined

Reports indicate that as of 2019, remittances to Uganda grew to $1.21 billion, boosted by receipts from labour exports to Middle Eastern countries.

I would like to commend the government for prioritising the external labour market and putting in place regulatory measures that have seen the sector grow into one of the key sources of revenue for the country.

Amid reports of abuses, extortion and trafficking, the government has put in effort to streamline labour export.

Among measures instituted by government include the establishment of the External Employment Unit (EEU), the development of the External Employment Management Information System (EEMIS), pre-departure training centres, amendment of the statutory instrument No. 62 of 2005 to S.I No. 47 of 2022 and the licensing of more recruitment companies and training centres.

Government has gone a step further to engage Middle East governments to ensure there is a fair and equitable trade among the major stakeholders.

Additionally, the number of fully licensed recruitment agencies in Uganda has grown from 13 in 2013 to the current 276. Also, there is a significant increase in labour migrants from Uganda.

To tackle the issue of abuses of some Ugandan migrants in Middle East, government came up with regulatory measures to ensure their safety.

The EEU, a unit under the Department of Employment Services at Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) was created to lead enforcement of the rules and regulations governing the recruitment of Ugandan migrant workers abroad.

The unit coordinates stakeholders; licensed labour externalisation companies, joint intelligence committee, Uganda missions abroad, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, migrant workers and Entebbe International Airport to oversee that this process is executed smoothly.

Also, the ministry has embarked on strengthening the collection, management and analysis of labour migration data, including information on labour demand and supply.

This necessitated the development and implementation of an External Employment Management Information System (EEMIS).

These measures and improved regulations within the sector have secured the future of many migrant workers.

Many can attest that unlike before, their safety and rights have been prioritised by the government. Additionally, the government regulatory measure have helped  weed out many traffickers who had infiltrated the sector, agencies that were extorting money from applicants and employers who mistreated Ugandan workers.

On the business side, two airlines from Saudi Arabia have formalised their landing rights and have since commenced scheduled flights. The driver of this interest to fly to East Africa is external employment.

These direct flights have since reduced ticket fares between Entebbe to Jeddah and Riyad which is good for all parties since it reduces the cost of doing business.

Also, because of these scheduled flights, Ugandan food is now heading to Saudi Arabia and the biggest beneficiary of this is our  local and rural  farmers of pineapples, coffee, bananas among others.

Important to note is that more  gains have been registered by key stakeholders like Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies, relatives of migrant workers, GCC medical Associations  among others.

However, there are still gaps in the sector that need to be dealt with to ensure effectiveness of labour export. These include continued illegal recruitment by traffickers and inefficient monitoring of agencies which call for joint effort from all stakeholders.    Over all, let’s give credit where it’s due. We applaud government for the commendable job so far.

Ms Winnie Catherine Banura  is the Secretary General of Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies