Ngige calls for training of ECOWAS labour, migration officials

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has called for continuous training of labour and migration officials on migrant markets in ECOWAS sub-region.
Ngige made the call while opening a four-day training workshop on Tools for data Collection on Labour Market and Migration in Lagos on Tuesday.
He said that global migration dynamics had broken boundaries of labour demand and supply as migrants now seek employment beyond their national boundaries to improve their lives and families left behind.
He stressed the importance of migration data management to the promotion of good governance of labour migration within ECOWAS sub region.
The minister was represented by the Director, Employment and Wages in the Ministry, Emmanuel Udoh.
Lamine Daffe, Project Officer, International Centre for Migration and Policy Development, said that migration had become an increasingly relevant topic in policy making at the national, regional and global levels.
He noted that the underlying causes of migration were linked to poverty, unemployment, conflict and environmental changes.
Daffe said that the dangers of irregular or forced migration and the risks of smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons could affect brain drain or brain waste.
He said: “ECOWAS members and Mauritania suffer lack of data on labour market and migration due to institutional, organizational and technical deficient in statistical production chain and the cost of data collection.
“The action of this training strives to support the collection of timely, reliable, statistical data on the labour market, employment, professional training and labour migration across ECOWAS states.
“This statistical tool should pave the ground for gaining a better knowledge of migration stocks and flows within and throughout the region.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 35 participants drawn from Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia and Mauritania were in attendance at the training.
NAN reports that the training project – “Support for Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa” – was jointly funded by European Union, ECOWAS Commission and implemented by.