By: Mohamed J. Bangura
Sierra Leone and Guinea are strengthening bilateral cooperation to regulate labour migration, protect migrant workers and create safer employment pathways for Sierra Leoneans travelling through Guinea to seek jobs in the Arab States.
The renewed cooperation followed a high-level engagement in Conakry, where Sierra Leone’s Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Umaru Napoleon Koroma Esq., joined Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh’s delegation for discussions with Guinean authorities on labour migration and the protection of migrant workers.
The engagement forms part of the Government of Sierra Leone’s efforts to ensure that citizens seeking employment abroad can do so through safe, orderly and lawful channels.
Minister Koroma raised concerns about alleged illegal recruitment networks operating along the migration corridor, particularly those targeting Sierra Leoneans travelling through Guinea en route to the Arab States.
He stressed that stronger cooperation between Sierra Leone and Guinea is essential to identifying and addressing unlawful recruitment practices, improving monitoring mechanisms and protecting workers from exploitation, trafficking and other forms of abuse.
According to Minister Koroma, labour migration should not be viewed solely as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to promote economic empowerment, skills development, decent employment and improved livelihoods when properly managed.
He called for closer coordination among institutions responsible for labour, immigration, migration management and worker protection in both countries.
The discussions also recognized Guinea’s important role as a transit country for Sierra Leoneans travelling towards the Arab States. This makes cooperation between the two governments important in ensuring that migrants are properly informed, documented and recruited through recognized and legitimate channels before beginning their journeys.
The proposed measures are expected to reduce the risks associated with irregular migration while providing prospective migrant workers with reliable information on employment opportunities, recruitment procedures, contracts and their rights in destination countries.
For Sierra Leone, the engagement represents another step in the Government’s broader efforts to promote decent work and responsible international labour mobility.
The Government is seeking to ensure that Sierra Leoneans travelling abroad for employment can benefit from international opportunities without falling victim to fraudulent recruitment schemes, trafficking or unsafe working conditions.
Cooperation with Guinea could also strengthen regional efforts to address labour migration challenges as West African countries continue to experience increased movement of workers across borders in search of better economic opportunities.
Beyond labour migration, the engagement is expected to further strengthen the longstanding relationship between Sierra Leone and Guinea, which share close geographical, historical, cultural and people-to-people ties.
Both countries have expressed their commitment to maintaining strong relations and deepening cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
The Sierra Leone-Guinea discussions are therefore seen as an opportunity to establish stronger institutional mechanisms for protecting migrant workers while promoting lawful movement of labour across the region.
If effectively implemented, the emerging framework could provide Sierra Leoneans with safer and more transparent routes to international employment, while supporting families through remittances, promoting skills development and contributing to national economic growth.
The two countries are expected to continue consultations aimed at translating their commitments into practical measures to safeguard workers and promote responsible labour mobility.