Poor inter-agency coordination undermines labour migration governance — Report

A new policy brief reveals that a lack of coordination among Nigerian government agencies is undermining the governance of labor migration, leaving migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation.

The brief, focused on employer participation in labor migration governance, highlights weak collaboration between key agencies as a major obstacle to enforcing regulations effectively. Despite existing policy frameworks assigning monitoring responsibilities, significant gaps persist at critical control points in the migration cycle.

Enforcement of Standard Operating Procedures for private employment agencies remains weak at international airports and other departure points. This allows unlicensed recruiters to continue operating with minimal repercussions. The report attributes these enforcement deficits to systemic challenges, including a shortage of labor inspectors, insufficient inter-agency coordination among immigration authorities, labor ministry officials, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), inadequate sanctions for violations, and a lack of adequate information sharing and feedback systems.

This weak coordination creates loopholes, enabling some individuals to obtain travel and employment documents without proper pre-departure verification by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. Consequently, migrant workers recruited through unlicensed intermediaries often fall outside formal regulatory safeguards, increasing their risk of exploitation and trafficking.

The report does acknowledge the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (NECA) for its role in supporting accountability and compliance initiatives. NECA participates in tripartite and multi-stakeholder platforms, promoting fair recruitment practices and decent work standards. However, the report notes that NECA has limited authority and resources to enforce compliance independently beyond voluntary initiatives within its member companies.