The Sierra Leone Government is seeking stronger protection for workers in overseas jobs, with Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security Umaru Napoleon Koroma Esq. representing the country at the Second Doha Dialogue on Labour Mobility. The dialogue, held in Dar es Salaam from October 5-6, brings together representatives from over 33 African, Gulf Cooperation Council, and Arab countries. Koroma emphasized the need for migrant workers' rights to be protected throughout the employment process.
The two-day dialogue is co-chaired by Tanzania, Qatar, and the African Union, and focuses on moving existing commitments toward practical and measurable cooperation. The agenda includes skills and labor-market pathways, decent work, fair recruitment, access to justice, social protection, health coverage, and the portability of social security benefits. Koroma called for greater cooperation on fair recruitment, skills development, worker protection, social security, and the implementation of bilateral labor agreements.
The International Labour Organization reported that African governments, employers, and workers had agreed on priorities, including fair recruitment, skills development, social protection, and protection of migrant workers, ahead of the dialogue. For Sierra Leone, the engagement aims to expand legitimate overseas employment opportunities while ensuring workers receive proper recruitment, protection, and skills preparation.
The Second Doha Dialogue operates under the theme "From Commitment to Action: Advancing Fair and Sustainable Labour Mobility between Africa and the GCC+." The platform was established through an agreement between Qatar and the African Union as a voluntary, non-binding, and state-led mechanism for cooperation on labor mobility. The dialogue provides an avenue for Sierra Leone to strengthen cooperation with destination countries and pursue labor arrangements that improve access to employment and protections for Sierra Leonean migrant workers.
Koroma's participation in the dialogue places the protection of migrant workers alongside access to international employment opportunities at the center of Sierra Leone's labor mobility agenda. The ministry stated that the engagement is intended to help expand legitimate overseas employment opportunities while ensuring workers receive appropriate recruitment, protection, and skills preparation.
The discussions in Dar es Salaam aim to translate previous commitments into measurable action, including through a declaration on future cooperation. The Doha Dialogue is a crucial platform for countries to share best practices and work towards fair and sustainable labor mobility. Sierra Leone's participation in the dialogue demonstrates its commitment to protecting the rights of its migrant workers.
The outcome of the dialogue is expected to have a positive impact on Sierra Leonean migrant workers, who will benefit from improved protections and access to international employment opportunities. The government's efforts to strengthen cooperation with destination countries and pursue labor arrangements that improve access to employment and protections for Sierra Leonean migrant workers are ongoing.
Key points
- The Sierra Leone Government is seeking stronger protection for workers in overseas jobs, with a focus on fair recruitment, skills development, worker protection, social security, and the implementation of bilateral labor agreements.
- The Second Doha Dialogue on Labour Mobility aims to move existing commitments toward practical and measurable cooperation, with a focus on skills and labor-market pathways, decent work, fair recruitment, access to justice, social protection, health coverage, and the portability of social security benefits.
- The dialogue provides an avenue for Sierra Leone to strengthen cooperation with destination countries and pursue labor arrangements that improve access to employment and protections for Sierra Leonean migrant workers.
