1. Mrs. Aissata KANE, Senior Regional Advisor for Sub Saharan Africa, IOM
2. Ms. Cynthia Samuel-Olunjowon, ILO Regional Director for Africa (online)
3. Mr. Alves D'Almanda, Head of Division, ECOWAS
4. Amb. Neveen El-Husseiny, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Refugees and Migration and PAFOM 5
5. HE Mme Aïssata TALL SALL, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères et des Sénégalais de l’Extérieu
6.  Excellencies,
7. Distinguished Guests.
8. Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you all to this year’s Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFoM 6) meeting that is being held here in Dakar, Senegal. We are holding this meeting within a difficult time particularly during the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. It must be noted that this meeting couldn’t be hosted last year due to the severe impact of the pandemic hence the decision to postpone the meeting to this year.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Government of Senegal, especially through tireless efforts of Amb. Christian Joseph Assogba and his team for making tremendous effort to host this meeting. Further, I wish to thank all participants, both in attendance in person and online, for attending the meeting. We need to continuously strive to develop innovative ways to adopt to the new norm that, brought about by the pandemic; while taking extra ordinary precautions and observations of the laid down health safety protocol as provided by our health experts.

Your Excellencies.

Distinguished delegates

 Ladies and Gentlemen.

Labour migration trends continue to increase over the years in the continent. With over 80% of the movement experienced within the continent, there is need for a better and enhanced collaboration between different stakeholders represented in this meeting on issues of labor migration governance and the general human mobility in Africa.

It is therefore important for all AU Member States and stakeholders to develop sustainable labor migration policy framework to enhance predictability in decision making and general operations in this area.

I am glad to note that this year’s theme identified Labor Migration governed as a critical for deliberation in this meeting. There is need for us to identify the gaps and opportunities that exists within this area; with the view advancing sound Labour and employment policies to safeguard migrant workers’ rights, protection and access to benefits.

Your Excellencies.

Distinguished delegates.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Labour migration is a key priority area for policy development in the modern world. The complexities and dynamics associated with labor migration flows have changed significantly over decades resulting to diverse migratory movements that need to be captured accurately.

The Revised Migration Policy Framework for Africa (2018 – 2030), identified the need for AU Member States to strengthen their labor migration governance. As such, the Commission, together with IOM, ILO and ECA have implementing the Joint programme on labor migration governance and integration in Africa (JLMP) that seeks to enhance improved labor migration governance and decent work.

Through this initiative, the Commission has worked to support Member States in the production of the First and second editions of the Labour Migration Statistics Report in Africa. Other achievement include the promotion of skills portability and the mutual recognition of qualifications in Africa.  This has led to the development of an African Qualifications Framework as well as promotion of critical areas geared towards facilitation of free movement of workers to advance regional integration and development.

Enhancing Intra-Africa and inter-Africa Cooperation and collaboration on labor migration governance is key for sustainable innovative solutions in this sector. Through the JLMP, various regional consultative dialogues and mechanisms have been ongoing to support and embrace decent work for all including advancing protection for migrant workers more especially in low-skilled and middle skilled occupations.

Your Excellencies.

Distinguished Guests.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Labour migration data and statistics remains as key pillars in improving migration governance in the continent. There is need for member states to produce accurate, reliable and high-quality labor migration, data so as to support the development of evidence-based policies and key decisions.

There is need to ensure that necessary policy and legal frameworks are established to strengthen data sharing amongst agencies producing and using labor migration data. These frameworks and mechanisms are key in improving the collection, utilization and dissemination of relevant migration data and statistics among agencies at national level.

Additionally, developing, and harmonizing labor migration statistics in Africa plays a significant role towards improved migration governance at national, regional and continental levels. This will greatly improve data comparability across countries and regions with the adoption of key definitions, concepts and methodologies in the production and dissemination of labor migration data.

Further, the establishment and operationalization of the African Centre for migration research in Mali and the African Migration Observatory Centre in Morocco and the African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC) is aimed at strengthening migration statistics research, production, and harmonization in the continent. 

It is hoped that these centers once fully operational, will support the collection of accurate, reliable, and up to date labor migration statistics in the continent. As a matter of fact, streamlining migration data collection through administrative sources, border control statistics, housing and population censuses, labor force and household surveys is key towards achieving this.

Your Excellencies.

Distinguished Guests.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

As I conclude, , I wish thank again the Government of Senegal for agreeing to host this year’s PAFOM and for their excellent reception and hospitality accorded to all delegates in this meeting.

I wish you all wonderful deliberations. We look forward to receiving the outcome report of this meeting; so that we can jointly work together with the PAFOM 6 Chair and Member States to implement it.

I thank you all.