Assessment of Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements (BLMAs) between selected African countries and destination countries

This report examines Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements (BLMAs) involving seven African countries of origin (Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda) with destination countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jordan and Lebanon, as well as selected European countries for comparative purposes. It reviews signed agreements, draft texts and ongoing negotiation processes where documentation was available, using desk review, agreement mapping and targeted key informant interviews. The analysis applies the core dimensions of the ILO-IOM BLMA Joint Assessment Tool, covering preparation and negotiation, substantive content, implementation, and monitoring and follow-up.

The report identifies key challenges and opportunities to strengthen BLMA governance, including gaps between agreement provisions and implementation in practice, the need for stronger monitoring and worker awareness, and opportunities for more systematic involvement of workers’ and employers’ organisations throughout the BLMA lifecycle. It also explores how greater coordination among African countries of origin, including through Regional Economic Communities such as IGAD, the EAC and ECOWAS, could support common minimum standards and peer learning. The findings are intended to inform policy dialogue, ILO technical assistance and future programming to promote fair, safe and regular labour migration pathways.

This publication was made possible through the support of several ILO labour migration programmes, including FAIRWAY II, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); FMM West Africa II, funded by the European Union (EU); the Action for Improving Labour Migration Governance in Nigeria (ACTION) Project, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under its Centres for Migration and Development (ZME) Programme; and the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) Programme, Phase II, funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK-FCDO).