The  Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Ghana, Mohammed Lawan Gana, has called on ECOWAS to develop proactive strategies to deal with labour migration in the sub-region.

He said it was important to anticipate future trends such as cli­mate change, democratic shifts and technological transformations and encapsulate it into such strategies.

“There’s a need to strengthen existing legal and policy frameworks as well as review and harmonise mi­gration laws and labour policies to better protect the human rights of migrant workers and ensure align­ment with international standards,” he emphasised.

Mr Ghana made the call at the opening of a three-day Regional Validation Meeting of the ECOW­AS Labour Migration Strategy and Action Plan in Accra yesterday.

The validation meeting organised under the auspices of the ECOW­AS Commission in collaboration with the Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP) and fund­ed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), formed part of the Labour, Employment, and Mobility compo­nent of the AU-ILO-IOM Labour Migration Governance Programme.

It comes as sequel to the devel­opment of a draft ECOWAS La­bour Migration Strategy and Action Plan to improve labour migration data systems, informing policy, and maximising migration.

The framework supports key re­gional priorities, including Objective four of the ECOWAS four by four Strategic Objectives (2022-2026) and other relevant policies.

Furthermore, the workshop would enable stakeholders review and validate the draft, agree on a roadmap for implementation, and share lessons on advancing labour migration governance in the region.

Mr Gana said it was imperative that data collection and research were enhanced in this direction to ensure that reliable aggregated data on labour migration trends were prioritised to inform evi­dence-based policy making and effective monitoring of progress.

Furthermore, he called for the promotion of skills development and recognition across borders to facilitate better labour mobility and improvement in employment outcomes.

On her part, the IOM Chief of Mission for Ghana, Togo and Benin, Ms Fatou Diallo Nidiaye, said labour migration was bedev­illed with persistent challenges that hindered the full realisation of its goals.

“While the rights of entry into ECOWAS member states is largely accessible to nationals of the region, there is still progress to be made with regard to the right of residence and establishment,” she said.

Ms Ndiaye said labour migration played a crucial role in balancing la­bour supply and demand, fostering economic growth and employability characterised by dynamic patterns influenced by socioeconomic, politi­cal and environmental factors.

She said challenges still existed due to irregular migration, inad­equate recognition of skills, high level of informality, and limited access to social security.

Ms Ndiaye said a comprehensive and harmonised approach was es­sential for maximising the potential of labour migration in West Africa.

The Programme Support Officer, African Union Commission, Adaeze Molok?ani said migration posed certain social, economic and polit­ical challenges for policy makers in management of migration in the 21st century.

She said the meeting offered a unique opportunity to assess the level of implementation of the ECOWAS protocol on free move­ment and right of residence by all stakeholders.