news 2 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
African Migrant Workers Push for Robust Protections Against Exploitation
Migrant returnee and advocate Sophia Amimo highlights the struggles of African workers returning home after facing abuse abroad, urging stronger safeguards and accountability. The launch of the Joint Labour Migration Programme Phase III aims to enhance safe migration and decent work opportunities across the continent. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/migrant-workers-demand-stronger-protections-from-exploitations-5444388
Sophia Amimo, founder of Domestic Workers Returnees of Kenya and a former migrant worker, described returning home as ‘the hardest chapter’ for many Africans seeking jobs abroad. She emphasized that thousands face uncertainty upon return, demanding better protections, information access, and accountability for exploiters.
Amimo acknowledged progress like training programs in Kenya for women heading overseas but stressed more action is needed. Her comments coincided with the unveiling of the Joint Labour Migration Programme Phase III (JLMP PROPEL) at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The 2025-2029 initiative focuses on safe, orderly migration, improved governance, and decent work access. Keynote speaker Amma A. Twum-Amoah framed labour mobility as key to development and integration, noting Africa hosts 26 million international migrants, mostly intra-continental.
Cameroonian diplomat Churchill Ewumbe Monono called it central to social justice and economic growth. GIZ’s Tobias Thiel pledged support for implementation, prioritizing skills recognition across borders.
Amimo raised concerns over rights awareness gaps, unratified conventions, weak emergency responses, informal recruitment, and trafficking. She advocated local job creation, skills training, and prosecuting rogue agencies.
In Uganda, NOTU and the ILO launched a call centre in March to aid distressed migrant workers, amid warnings of ongoing exploitation risks.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)