Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire — The Government of Côte d'Ivoire, with support from the AU-ILO-IOM Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP) and the Africa Regional Migration Program (ARMP), has completed a training workshop for national experts on improving the collection and use of labour migration statistics in the country.

The training, which was the third of its kind under the JLMP, brought together national experts to assess existing capacity, gaps, and advances in using the Labour Market Information System (LMIS). Launched on 30 May, the LMIS initiative has positioned Côte d'Ivoire as the most advanced West African country in management of labour migration data.

“Our aim is to set a leading example for other Member States by investing in quality migration data, and we are eager to become a benchmark for neighboring countries and beyond,” said M Penatien Emile Kone, Côte d'Ivoire’s Director of Studies, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation.

West Africa is home to 28 per cent (7.39 million) of international migrants, making it the second most settled region for international migrants in Africa after East Africa, which hosts 30 per cent (7.9 million). This underscores the urgent need for high-quality data and statistics to guide effective labour migration governance.

The JLMP has been instrumental in supporting the development of labour migration governance frameworks across Africa since 2018 and at the opening of the training, Ms. Odette Bolly, the JLMP Coordinator at the African Union Commission (AUC), emphasized the Programme’s commitment to understanding labour market dynamics at both the macro and micro levels.

“The Programme is keen to understand labour market dynamics where supply and demand are influenced by both national and international labour market dynamics,” Ms. Bolly stated. She also noted that “The Commission recognizes that the development and harmonization of labour migration statistics in Africa is crucial for improving comparability of data between Member States and regions.”

Data experts across the continent have for many years faced many challenges when collecting labour migration, including fragmented data sources, inconsistent methodologies, and limited resources. This has hindered the accuracy and comprehensiveness of migration data collected, highlighting the need for a unified approach to improve data collection efforts.

“This [effort] embodies our common desire to meet challenges and capitalize on the opportunities offered by labour migration,” said Ms. Emma Masabo, the Labour Migration and Social Inclusion (LMI) Programme Officer at IOM Côte d'Ivoire.

The JLMP supported the development of an assessment report on the status of the Labour Market Information System (LMIS) in Côte d'Ivoire. This report has served as a benchmark for LMIS development both in the country and in countries in the region.

 

For more information contact: Innocent Vuga VugaI@africa-union.org and Eric Mazango emazango@iom.int