Migration experts are meeting this week in the Ghanaian capital,
Accra, to discuss how Africa and the European Union can benefit
from organized labour migration.

The conference which opened yesterday, 25 July, 2011, has been
organized by the IOM through funds from the EU's AENEAS 2006
programme, which provides financial and technical support for
countries on migration and asylum. It is attended by officials from
EU, Africa and Canada as well as major international bodies, such
as the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Commission
(SADEC).

The conference builds on a previous event which took place in
2008, during which IOM with funds from the AENEAS 2006 programme,
launched a Labour Migration Project for West Africa (LAMIWA). 
The project aimed at reversing the negative trends of increased
irregular migrations from Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal to Europe,
with Libya as the main transit country.

The conference is assessing the overall benefits of the LAMIWA
programme on the participating countries, namely Ghana, Nigeria,
Senegal and Italy. It also aims to gain understanding of different
approaches taken by regional bodies to labour mobility.

One of the key areas for discussion is circular migration
– a scheme whereby migrant workers from Africa enter the
European labour market for a limited period of time in line with
specific country entry quotas and then return home once their
contracts are over.

This scheme will benefit migrants and both origin and the host
countries. The countries of origin will benefit from the skills and
knowledge acquired by the migrant workers, technology transfer,
unemployment reduction and the remittances. Host countries will
have access to migrant workers willing to fill short-term labour
market needs.

Through LAMIWA project, a pilot scheme for circular migration
scheme is taking place between Ghana and Italy.  As part of
the scheme, an initial group of twenty selected Ghanaian migrant
workers will depart later this week for Italy where they will spend
three months working in the agricultural sector. IOM will provide
pre-departure counselling, including information on contract and
working conditions as well as return and reintegration assistance
in Ghana upon completion of the contract.

Apart from initiating circular migration scheme between Ghana
and Italy, the funds provided by EU's AENEAS 2006 programme have
enabled IOM to provide assistance to the governments of Ghana and
Nigeria in drafting labour migration policies, and support for the
two governments' efforts to reduce irregular migration in the
region.

In addition, AENEAS 2006 funding facilitated IOM to conduct
national assessment of labour migration policies, legislation and
practices in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Libya.

For more information please contact:

Jo Rispoli

IOM Ghana

Tel: +233302823260

E-mail: "mailto:jrispoli@iom.int">jrispoli@iom.int