In 2024, there were 25.1 million Africans living across various nations on the continent. Labor migration has consistently played a crucial role in Africa’s economic landscape.
African migrant workers are primarily concentrated in certain sectors, with agriculture and manufacturing making up nearly one-fifth of migrant employment. Most migrants hold medium-skilled positions, alongside high and low-skilled roles.
This distribution across sectors is important within the dialogue surrounding global skill partnerships.
Global skill partnerships are frameworks that link skill creation with skill mobility, aiming to benefit all involved parties. Workers in their home nations are trained in the skills needed by both their originating and destination countries, allowing them to work there legally.
Destination countries can alleviate workforce shortages, origin countries can enhance their skill sets and attract investment, while migrants gain access to safer and more reliable pathways.
Read: Migrant exodus leaves gap SA may struggle to fill
Nevertheless, in practice, many partnerships between African countries and those outside the continent are limited in scope and often fail to address the realities of intra-continental movement.
In Africa, industries that heavily rely on migrant labor tend to be regional and less structured, differing from the high-income international corridors often targeted by existing global skills partnerships.
For example, while there are partnerships for skilled IT professionals between Nigeria and Lithuania, the majority of African migrants moving to other intra-continental destinations are employed in manufacturing and agriculture.
As a researcher focused on migration governance and labor mobility, I have observed how African governments and their partners have executed skills partnerships in practice.
Drawing on my expertise, research fellowship, and contributions to a recent mid-term assessment of the African Union’s Migration Policy Framework for Africa, I assert that mobility within Africa is inherently regional, informal, and often precarious.
I argue that a structured skills and labor system is necessary, one that provides recognition and protection. For skills partnerships to effectively meet the needs of African nations, a regional mobility track should be developed in addition to traditional domestic and international routes.
Bilateral partnerships
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The existing global skills partnerships involving African countries typically exhibit a familiar trend: a bilateral agreement between one African nation and a high-income destination, frequently in Europe.
These agreements usually emphasize training workers in specific sectors—such as healthcare, construction, and information technology—with the anticipation that some trainees will migrate while others will remain to contribute locally.
While bilateral programs achieve some of their designated objectives, they have inherent shortcomings.
First, they neglect intra-African migration trends—80% of African migration occurs within the continent.
For example, migration between Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire or Uganda and Kenya is prevalent and economically significant. Bilateral agreements with distant partners do not support or formalize these movements.
Second, these agreements typically establish a “two-track” system: one dedicated to domestic skill development and another for migration to a specific country, overlooking those workers who may prefer or benefit from opportunities closer to home.
An Afrobarometer survey indicates that nearly 22% of respondents expressed a desire to migrate to another country within their region or elsewhere in Africa.
Third, bilateral agreements often lack scalability and flexibility. Initiating these programs requires substantial resources, and each agreement must be tailored to the needs of the partner countries.
This complexity hinders responsiveness to evolving labor market demands. Development partners often report challenges in scaling these initiatives effectively.
Finally, without coordinated regional governance, numerous bilateral agreements can lead to fragmented standards and qualifications, resulting in administrative inefficiencies.
Why a third track makes sense
To overcome these limitations, global skill partnerships should transition from a two-track to a three-track model:
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- Domestic track – training for local labor markets
- International track – pathways to high-income destination countries
- Regional track – structured mobility within Africa.
The implementation of a regional track recognizes that development can flow in multiple directions.
Read: Africa’s population growth without jobs ‘a ticking time bomb’
The benefits of a regional mobility track
A regional track offers several distinct advantages.
Formalising existing mobility
People are already migrating within Africa, often through informal networks. A regional track would formalize this movement, establish standardized training and qualifications, and ensure legal protections for workers. Policymakers should strengthen existing corridors to enhance safety and productivity.
Enhancing worker protection
Informal migration exposes workers to exploitation, poor working conditions, and a lack of legal recourse. A structured regional pathway would ensure labor standards, social protection, and common rights.
Addressing regional skills shortages
Many African economies face skill shortages in sectors like healthcare, construction, and technical trades. A regional track would enable more effective sharing of human capital, connecting supply with demand across the continent.
For example, health sector shortages in African countries could be alleviated by synchronizing training and certification systems.
Combating brain drain
A frequent criticism of traditional skills partnerships is their potential to contribute to “brain drain.” A regional track would help retain talent within Africa. While it may not eliminate outward migration, it promotes a more balanced mobility ecosystem.
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Continental frameworks
Africa is not beginning from scratch. Several continental and regional frameworks already provide a foundation for a regional skills partnership track.
The African Union has established the Free Movement Protocol, which allows for visa-free travel and residence among member states.
The African Continental Free Trade Area and regional economic communities, such as the Economic Community of West African States and the East African Community, contribute to a more integrated economic environment and could enhance demand for cross-border labor mobility.
Read: Travel between African countries remains challenging
A more realistic model of mobility
Effective migration policy should not seek to impose new patterns of movement but rather work with existing ones, refining them to be safer, fairer, and more advantageous for all. A three-track model achieves this.
Instead of framing international migration as the singular goal for trained workers, this model acknowledges that development can also stem from movement between African nations.
It expands opportunities without constraining choices, strengthens regional integration, and provides a grounded, context-sensitive approach to mobility.
Addressing these challenges begins with recognizing the sectors that accommodate most African migrant labor on the continent: agriculture, manufacturing, and medium-skilled jobs, while developing policies that align with this reality.
Amanda Bisong is a policy leader fellow at the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute
This article has been republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
