Govt to maximise labour migration benefits
Ministry of Labour, Skills and Innovation, says there is need to enforce strict migration regulations so that only foreigners with skills, which are not locally available, are granted work permits.
Principal Secretary for the ministry, Dr Esmie Kainja, made the remarks on Wednesday in Lilongwe at the official opening of a consultative workshop on the development of Labour Migration Policy.
She said the policy will enable stakeholders to effectively manage and regulate labour migration from and to Malawi.
“A good Labour Migration Policy should aim at promoting regular, as opposed to irregular migration. It should be part of a policy package that seeks to promote an environment where people should migrate out of choice, rather than out of necessity,” stated Kainja.
Kainja cautioned that all international strategies have to be examined in the context of the Malawi’s situation so that the final policy will be relevant and effective in serving its purpose.
International Labour Organization (ILO) representative, Theo Sparreboom called for proper administration of labour migration to promote sustainable development for countries of origin, transit and destination.
“In the context of Southern Africa, there is commitment to have labour migration policies in all countries. “Malawi is, in that sense, joining other countries to assist in spelling out regulations regarding immigrants, Malawians working abroad and how a country can benefit from that process.” said Sparreboom.
Sparreboom said they were working closely with employers’ organisations, trade unions and many government institutions involved in the process of migration.
In his remarks, Malawi Congress of Trade Union (MCTU) representative, Dennis Kalekeni said the development of a Labour Migration Policy will help provide guidelines on how the country can receive migrants and how the country distributes employment between immigrants and Malawians.
The first ever National Labour Migration Policy process has been jointly supported by ILO and International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
