The Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines H.E. Ambassador Mersole J. Mellejor, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ECOWAS and Nigeria paid a courtesy visit to the Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs to strengthen bilateral relations and explore areas of cooperation in labour migration governance within the ECOWAS region.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Alves D’Almada Fernando  Jorge, PPO- Social Affairs, in charge amongst others, of the Labour and employment issues, representing Prof. Nassirou BAKO-ARIFARI, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, and Dr. Ibrahim S.A. Mohammed, Ag. Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, welcome the Ambassador and express ECOWAS readiness and commitment to building and strengthening partnership in advancing labour migration governance. He profoundly appreciated the government of the Philippines through their Embassy in Nigeria for their interest in building capacity of staff and Member States Focal Persons on labour migration and fair recruitment.

In his remarks, the Ambassador acknowledged the significant strides made by ECOWAS in fostering regional integration and labour mobility. Drawing from the extensive experience of the Philippines in overseas employment administration and migrant worker protection, the Ambassador expressed the willingness of the Government of the Philippines to support ECOWAS and its Member States in strengthening labour migration governance frameworks.

The meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to discuss current trends, challenges, and opportunities relating to labour migration, employment promotion, and the protection of migrant workers. Discussions focused on ECOWAS efforts to facilitate the free movement of persons, promote safe, orderly, and regular migration, and strengthen regional frameworks aimed at improving labour migration governance among Member States.

The Directorate presented ongoing ECOWAS initiatives in the areas of labour migration policy development, skills mobility partnerships, labour market information systems, migrant worker protection, and regional cooperation mechanisms designed to maximize the developmental benefits of migration. The importance of aligning migration policies with labour market needs and ensuring the protection of the rights and welfare of migrant workers was also highlighted.

The Ambassador further conveyed his Government’s interest in providing technical assistance and capacity-building support to staff of the ECOWAS Commission and relevant institutions in Member States. Such support may include specialized training programmes, knowledge-sharing initiatives, exchange visits, workshops, and technical expertise in areas such as migrant worker welfare, skills certification and recognition, labour market information management, ethical recruitment practices, and migration policy implementation.

Dr. Alves noted that such collaboration could help address the high rates of  migration in the region and improve the implementation of existing frameworks like the ECOWAS Convention on Social Security.

Both parties recognized the importance of strengthening institutional capacities to effectively address emerging migration challenges, including irregular migration, skills shortages, labour market mismatches, human trafficking, social protection for migrant workers and their families, protection of vulnerable migrant workers and other vulnerable categories of people. The potential for cooperation in developing best practices and enhancing the capacities of national institutions responsible for labour migration management was also discussed.

The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to deepen collaboration and explore concrete modalities for partnership between ECOWAS and the Government of the Philippines. Both sides expressed optimism that enhanced cooperation in capacity building, knowledge exchange, and technical assistance would contribute to improved labour migration governance, strengthened protection of migrant workers, and greater socio-economic development across the ECOWAS region.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Alves underscored the need for the Government of the Philippines to consider awarding scholarships to underprivileged youth who lack the financial means to pursue further education. He also conveyed his gratitude to the Ambassador for his commitment and dedication to strengthening cooperation in areas of mutual interest.