East Africa to simplify cross-border travel and work through IGAD single visa initiative
A major resolution from the conference focused on the proposed IGAD Single Visa for non-IGAD citizens, designed to simplify tourism, trade, and investment.
IGAD Member States are advancing regional integration with plans for a Single Visa system and interoperable digital IDs, aiming to boost trade, tourism, and safe labour mobility.
The announcement came during the 3rd IGAD Ministerial Conference on Labour, Employment and Labour Migration in Nairobi, where ministers reviewed progress on free movement and digital solutions for cross-border governance.
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The delegates discussed harmonising legal frameworks, strengthening institutional capacity, and improving governance of labour migration across the IGAD region.
A major resolution from the conference focused on the proposed IGAD Single Visa for non-IGAD citizens, designed to simplify tourism, trade, and investment.
A Technical Committee comprising experts from ministries responsible for migration, labour, foreign affairs, immigration, and information technology from all Member States will develop the operational framework.
âDevelop Common Regional Standards for Interoperable Harmonised National ID to facilitate cross-border identification and verification processes,â The communiquĂ© read, emphasising a cost-effective system that links existing national databases rather than creating a new regional ID.
Social dialogue was highlighted as a key component of stronger labour governance. Governments, employers, and trade unions will coordinate the implementation of international labour standards, monitor bilateral labour agreements, and ensure compliance in collaboration with Gulf Cooperation Council states, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The ministers also tasked the IGAD Secretariat with establishing a Labour Governance Unit, a Regional Labour Migration Observatory, and an IGAD Labour Migration Trust Fund.
They encouraged innovative financing mechanisms, including diaspora bonds, remittance-linked instruments, and debt suspension, to support implementation.
Youth employment was a central theme. Through the IGAD Youth Skilling Initiative, young people will have access to jobs in green energy, digital platforms, and manufacturing, while safe and regular migration pathways are expanded.
The communiqué emphasised the importance of continuous support and monitoring.
It was also agreed that Phase II of the Project âSupport to Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Regionâ (FMPT-II), financed by the European Union, will be effectively implemented across Member States.â
In addition to that, Ministers also confirmed that the 4th IGAD Ministerial Conference on Labour, Employment, and Labour Migration will be held in 2027 in Juba, South Sudan.
The week-long conference brought together ministers from Kenya, Djibouti, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Uganda, alongside international partners including the European Union, the International Labour Organisation, the International Organisation for Migration, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
Others who attended include the Confederation of IGAD Employers, the Horn of Africa Confederation of Trade Unions, and the International Trade Union Confederation â Africa.
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