Sierra Leone Government Seeks Stronger Protection for Workers in Overseas Jobs
Osman Tolo Sesay Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security Umaru Napoleon Koroma Esq. represented Sierra Leone at the Second Doha Dialogue on Labour Mobility, held October 5-6 in Dar es Salaam.
The two-day dialogue brings together representatives from more than 33 African, Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab countries, alongside the African Union and international and regional organizations. The meeting is co-chaired by Tanzania, Qatar and the African Union.
According to the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Koroma used a ministerial roundtable on “Governing Labour Mobility for Shared Prosperity” to emphasize the need for migrant workers’ rights to remain protected throughout the employment process.
The minister said, “a worker’s rights must travel with the worker.”
Koroma called for greater cooperation on fair recruitment, skills development, worker protection, social security and the implementation of bilateral labor agreements, according to the ministry.
The discussions in Dar es Salaam are focused 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.
The International Labour Organization said African governments, employers and workers had agreed ahead of the dialogue on priorities including fair recruitment, skills development, social protection and protection of migrant workers.
For Sierra Leone, the ministry said the engagement is intended to help expand legitimate overseas employment opportunities while ensuring workers receive appropriate recruitment, protection and skills preparation.
It also provides an avenue for Sierra Leone to strengthen cooperation with destination countries and pursue labor arrangements that could improve access to employment and protections for Sierra Leonean migrant workers, the ministry said.
The Second Doha Dialogue is operating 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, nonbinding and state-led mechanism for cooperation on labor mobility.
The ministry said the dialogue comes as participating countries work to translate previous commitments into measurable action, including through a declaration on future cooperation.
For Sierra Leone, Koroma’s participation places the protection of migrant workers alongside access to international employment opportunities at the center of the country’s labor mobility agenda.