Journalists Put Migrant Workers at Heart of IGAD Mobility Stories

The three-day programme, held in Entebbe from 24 to 26 August 2026, brought together 27 media and communication professionals from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

Journalists across East Africa and the Horn of Africa are gaining stronger tools to report labour migration as a story about people, rights and opportunity, rather than reducing it to border statistics, political statements or crime reports. A regional training organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) helped media professionals use reliable evidence, challenge misinformation and show how mobility policies affect workers' daily lives.

The three-day programme, held in Entebbe from 24 to 26 August 2026, brought together 27 media and communication professionals from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The group included nine women and 18 men working in print, radio, television, online media, journalists' associations and government communication institutions, creating a broad regional space for exchanging experiences and developing practical story ideas.

Turning Regional Policy Into Human Stories

Participants explored the IGAD Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, adopted in 2021 as a regional framework for expanding access to employment, trade, investment and skills exchange while protecting the rights of people moving across borders. Sessions explained its major provisions and the steps required for ratification, national adoption and implementation, giving journalists the background needed to connect government decisions with the experiences of workers, traders, students and families.

Ephrem Getnet, Chief Technical Advisor for the Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region project, reminded participants that every policy and statistic represents someone trying to work, study, trade or build relationships across borders. Lucy Daxbacher, Senior Programme Coordinator representing the IGAD Secretariat, described journalists as active contributors to public understanding, encouraging them to tell stories about regional integration with accuracy, courage and respect for human dignity.

Separating Migration From Criminal Exploitation

A specialised session led by SCP Fred Enanga of the Uganda Police Force examined the differences between lawful mobility, irregular migration, migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons. Journalists discussed fraudulent recruitment, document fraud, digital platforms used by criminal networks, victim protection and cross-border information sharing, with particular attention given to language that can wrongly portray legitimate migrants as criminals.

The training also covered fair recruitment, access to justice, decent work, labour market evidence and migrant workers' rights. Participants learned how verified data and careful terminology can challenge stereotypes without ignoring exploitation or abuse, giving audiences a fuller understanding of both the opportunities and risks linked to regional mobility. Reporting teams were encouraged to include workers, employers, government agencies and community representatives so that migration stories reflect more than official announcements.

Bringing Migrant Workers Into the Newsroom

Kenyan journalist Teresa Mutai said media coverage often misses the ordinary details that reveal what migration means in practice, including workers' wages, housing, working conditions and everyday routines. South Sudanese journalist Mol Mapal Mayan noted that reporting regularly stays centred on governments and policies, leaving communities with little explanation of how regional agreements could affect or benefit them.

Practical exercises in interviewing, pitching and story development helped participants turn these concerns into newsroom ideas covering free movement, migrant smuggling, trafficking, labour rights and regional cooperation. Uganda's migration policy experience offered a working case study, while country discussions showed how journalists could collaborate across borders when investigating stories involving several jurisdictions.

The participants will continue their work through the IGAD Regional Journalists' Platform on Migration and Labour Migration Governance, a network supporting peer learning, information exchange and coordinated public awareness. The training was delivered through the European Union-funded Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region project, which supports safer, rights-based mobility and stronger labour migration governance across the region.