The African Union has launched a third phase of its flagship Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP), aiming to improve governance of labour mobility across the continent as migration plays an increasingly vital role in Africa's development.
The Programme, coordinated by African Union Commission and implemented in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), International Labour Organization (ILO) and German development agency GIZ, was formally unveiled at a high-level event in Addis Ababa on 30 April 2026.
H.E. Amb. Amma Twum-Amoah, the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, speaking at the high-level event in Addis Ababa, stressed the growing importance of orderly labour migration for Africa's development, noting that the number of international migrants on the continent rose from 17.6 million in 2010 to 26 million in 2022, while remittances reached USD 97.5 billion in 2022.
The four-year programme (2025-2029), backed by support of USD 16 million, will prioritise policy coherence, data improvements, skills recognition, portable social protection, and regional integration.
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"The JLMP responds to a clear demand: the need to strengthen protection for migrant workers through rights-centered, evidence-based and gender-responsive labour migration frameworks," noted H.E Riccarda Chanda, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Ethiopia, Djibouti, and South Sudan.
"The significance of JLMP PROPEL lies in its promise to help build stronger institutions, more coherent policies, better labour migration data systems, enhanced skills mobility frameworks, and more effective mechanisms for the protection of migrant workers and their families," emphasised Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono, Chair of the African Union Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) Sub-Committee on Migration, Refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons (MRIDPs).
JLMP PROPEL (Promoting Opportunities, Protection, Employment and Labour Integration) is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), as well as GIZ playing vital role of being fund manager.
Previous JLMP phases emphasised improving governance structures, policy development, data systems, and skills recognition at national and regional levels. Subsequent phases, including JLMP Action and Lead projects, delivered results such as strengthened institutions in selected countries and Regional Economic Communities, better social protection measures, and enhanced coordination for safer, more orderly migration.
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"The JLMP aligns closely with Sweden's conviction that sustainable reform requires broad ownership, inclusive dialogue and shared responsibility. That is why Sweden remains a committed partner to the JLMP," said H.E Ambassador Hedvig Lohm, Deputy Head of Mission, Sweden Embassy in Addis Ababa.
The launch brought together senior representatives from AU member states, regional economic communities, social partners, development partners and the media.
