On 7 and 8 April 2016, IOM Tanzania is joining the PMO - Ministry of Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled to hold a two day training and roundtable on labour migration at the Peacock Hotel in Dar es Salaam.

In the 2012 census, a total of 662,827 non-Tanzanian citizens were recorded as living in Tanzania, a three-fold increase since the previous census in 2002. The most common countries of origin of migrant workers are India, China, Kenya, South Africa, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, the USA, Bangladesh and France. Both high and low skilled workers migrate to Tanzania. The number of irregular low-skilled, irregular migrant workers is difficult to estimate

The event in Dar es Salaam is being held as part of a new project which aims to lay the foundation for an effective and sustainable national labour migration management and information sharing programme in Tanzania. The objective supported is to enhance the understanding of the relationship between international labour mobility and development and to sensitize participants on the importance of a rights-based approach to labour migration. Partners are the relevant government ministries, the International Labour Organization (ILO), civil society organizations, and private sector representatives.

Key expected outcomes from this new project include a roadmap to the development of a Labour Market Information System (LMIS), a framework for a labour migration policy and an innovative electronic work permit system.

“The project workshops will strengthen the capacities of relevant stakeholders, including government ministries and civil society organizations and private sector, academic institutions, workers’ and employers’ associations and development partners to work together in the development and execution of the labour migration roadmap, ” noted Dr Qasim Sufi, Chief of Mission of IOM Tanzania. “Especially in view of the ongoing development of the new 5- Year Development Plan in Tanzania, this workshop on harnessing the effects of migration for economic growth and development is very timely and highly relevant.“

The event today was the first training held under the project, which is also aligned to labour migration initiatives in the SADC region to create and cement networks among stakeholders, to establish synergies among the initiatives as well as to discuss project achievements, challenges and practices.