IGAD Steps Up Somalia Consultations on Regional Free Movement Protocol

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has intensified consultations in Somalia as part of efforts to build support for the ratification and implementation of its Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, a regional agreement aimed at easing cross-border mobility and deepening economic integration across the Horn of Africa.

The latest round of engagements reflects IGAD’s push to secure broad national backing for the protocol, which seeks to facilitate the movement of people among member states while promoting orderly labour migration, expanding trade and strengthening regional cooperation.

Earlier this week, an IGAD delegation held talks with the leadership of the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU), focusing on the role organised labour can play in ensuring the protocol delivers tangible benefits for workers and employers alike.

Discussions centred on protecting migrant workers’ rights, promoting decent employment, improving labour migration governance and strengthening social dialogue to support safe, orderly and regular migration across the region.

FESTU Secretary-General Omar Faruk Osman said successful regional integration should translate into better opportunities and stronger protections for ordinary citizens.

“Regional integration should improve the lives of ordinary citizens,” he said, adding that the protocol presents an opportunity to advance workers’ rights while supporting economic growth across the region.

The consultations form part of IGAD’s broader campaign to engage governments, workers’ organisations, employers and civil society as member states move towards implementing the agreement. The regional bloc has argued that wider stakeholder participation will be essential to ensuring the protocol reflects national priorities while facilitating cross-border movement.

For Somalia, where labour migration, cross-border trade and population mobility have long shaped livelihoods, the protocol could help create clearer legal pathways for workers seeking opportunities elsewhere in the region while improving protections for Somalis living and working in neighbouring countries.

The agreement is also expected to support regional efforts to boost economic integration by reducing barriers to the movement of people, skills and services among IGAD member states, which include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

Although the protocol has yet to be fully ratified and implemented across the bloc, IGAD has accelerated awareness campaigns and national consultations in recent months, describing free movement as a key pillar of regional integration, economic resilience and shared prosperity in the Horn of Africa.