Journalists Across Eastern Africa Forge a Common Path on Migration Reporting

Mombasa, Kenya (ILO News, 20 June 2026) – Twenty-five journalists from nine countries across Eastern Africa have strengthened their capacity to report on labour migration through an emphasis on ethical, evidence-based and people-centred storytelling that highlights the realities of migrant workers and their communities.

The three-day Regional Media Capacity Building Forum held from 18 to 20 June 2026 in Mombasa, Kenya, was convened by the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the Federation of Eastern Africa Journalists (FEAJ), hosted by the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the UK FCDO-funded Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) Programme.

The forum brought together 25 journalists (7 women) from Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan and Djibouti to strengthen the quality, accuracy, and impact of migration reporting across Eastern Africa.

Across Eastern Africa, migration reporting frequently focuses on crises, irregular migration or political debates, while insufficient attention is given to the broader social and economic dimensions of migration, including labour market opportunities, skills development, decent work and the contributions of migrant workers and diaspora communities. At the same time, online misinformation and misleading narratives about migration continue to shape public perceptions, sometimes encouraging unsafe migration decisions and obscuring available pathways for regular migration, skills development, entrepreneurship, and decent work.

Misinformation on migration is not just inaccurate reporting. It costs lives. When journalists fail to verify facts and counter false narratives, vulnerable young people make life-altering decisions based on lies. Our responsibility as media professionals is to be the antidote to that.

Omar Faruk Osman, President, Federation of African Journalists

© ILO BRMM Programme

© ILO BRMM Programme

The forum combined expert presentations, interactive discussions, practical exercises, and peer learning sessions to enhance journalists’ understanding of migration dynamics in the East and Horn of Africa. Discussions covered ethical and context-sensitive reporting, fact-checking and verification techniques, countering misinformation, reporting on fair recruitment and local opportunities, forced labour risks and reporting on opportunities linked to safe and regular labour migration.

A key milestone of the forum was the regional launch of the ILO Media Toolkit on Reporting Forced Labour, Fair Recruitment, and Labour Migration, introduced by its author Charles Autheman. The toolkit provides practical guidance to support journalists in producing accurate, ethical and informed reporting on migration issues while contributing to public awareness and stronger migration governance. Participants emphasized the important role of media as a partner in promoting informed public dialogue on migration and ensuring that the voices and experiences of migrant workers are reflected in reporting.

The forum concluded with the adoption of the Mombasa Declaration on Strengthening Journalism for Informed Migration Narratives in Eastern Africa. Through the Declaration, participating journalists and media organizations committed to promoting responsible, evidence-based migration reporting, strengthening cross-border media collaboration and contributing to more balanced narratives on migration across the region. By supporting stronger media engagement on labour migration, the ILO and its partners aim to contribute to better-informed public discussions, counter harmful misinformation and promote migration narratives that reflect the principles of safe, orderly and regular migration and decent work for all.