Government Plans Reforms to Labour Export System

What the report says

Uganda’s government is planning reforms to its labour export system, according to Nile Post, with a focus on cutting licensing delays, improving training for workers going abroad and strengthening protections in destination countries. The changes are intended to make the recruitment process faster and better aligned with regional labour-export markets.

Minister of State for Labour Simon Mulongo said the government wants to shorten the time needed to license labour export companies from the current four to six months to about one month or less. He also indicated that officials want to reduce paperwork and explore moving the licensing process online. The proposed reforms would also digitise applications and approvals to speed up processing.

The report says the government plans to expand skills training for Ugandans recruited for work overseas, especially in domestic work, childcare and technical jobs. Mulongo said training would cover basic technologies and job-specific operational skills before departure. The government also wants to consult destination countries so that training can be matched to the skills employers need.

Nile Post reports that the broader goal is to shift Uganda’s labour export from mostly unskilled workers toward more skilled workers over the next five years. The reforms also include efforts to negotiate better treatment, complaint-handling systems and, in some cases, minimum wages for selected categories of migrant workers. The move comes amid ongoing concerns about worker welfare abroad and disruptions affecting some labour migration routes.