On 19 June 2025, the Egyptian Ministry of Labour (MoL) and the ILO reaffirmed their strong commitment to advancing fair recruitment practices for Egyptian migrant workers under the EU-funded THAMM Plus Programme (“Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa”). Building on the achievements of the first phase of THAMM (2020–2023) which trained 67 staff and produced strategic recommendations to enhance the regulation of private employment agencies, this new meeting marked a concrete step forward in scaling up institutional capacity to monitor recruitment in line with international labour standards.

Seventeen labour inspectors and senior MoL officials gathered in Cairo for an intensive refresher session focused on labour inspection and the regulation of private employment agencies. The discussions revisited progress made, identified promising practices, and looked at how lessons from Tunisia could inform Egypt’s next steps.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Sayed El Sharkawy, Head of the Labour Inspection Department, stressed the Ministry’s determination to consolidate reforms already initiated. Ms. Miriam Boudraa, THAMM Plus Regional Project Manager at the ILO, underlined that fair recruitment is a cornerstone of labour mobility governance and a prerequisite for safeguarding migrant workers’ rights.

A highlight of the event was the peer learning session with Tunisian counterparts, who shared their hands-on experience in regulating private employment agencies. Mr. Ahmed Messaoudi, Director General for International Placement and Foreign Labour, and Ms. Imen Gharsellaoui, Inspector of Private Employment Agencies, presented best practices and challenges from Tunisia. Their contributions sparked a lively exchange with Egyptian officials, offering practical insights and opportunities for cross-fertilization.

The meeting concluded with a clear roadmap of next steps:

• Development of a tailored training programme for labour inspectors;
• A Training of Trainers (ToT) scheme to build sustainable expertise within the Ministry; and
• Alignment of future training with Egypt’s upcoming labour law reforms.

Mr. Hans van de Glind, International Expert with the ILO, guided participants through the fair recruitment principles and facilitated discussions that will directly feed into the design of these capacity-building activities.

The session not only reaffirmed the shared commitment of the MoL and ILO but also produced tangible actions to strengthen Egypt’s oversight of recruitment practices. With EU support, the THAMM Plus Programme is laying the groundwork for more transparent, fair, and rights-based migration pathways for Egyptian workers abroad.