Tanzania Launches First Migrant Resource Centre to Protect and Empower Migrant Workers

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (ILO News, 11 June 2026), Tanzania has launched its first Migrant Workers Resource Centre (MRC) to strengthen access to information, guidance and support services for migrant workers throughout the migration cycle. The Centre was officially launched by the Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (TUCTA), in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) under the UK FCDO-funded Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) Programme. The launch brought together 80 (34 women) participants representing government institutions, employers' and workers' organizations, private employment agencies, diplomatic missions of destination countries, civil society organizations, returned and potential migrant workers, development partners, and media representatives.

Tanzania is both a country of origin and destination for migrant workers, with Tanzanians increasingly seeking employment opportunities within the East African region, the Gulf States, and beyond. While labour migration offers significant opportunities for employment, income generation, skills development and improved livelihoods, migrant workers may face challenges including limited access to reliable information, deceptive recruitment practices, contract substitution, exploitation, and unsafe working conditions. The absence of a structured, accessible support mechanism has left many Tanzanian migrant workers particularly vulnerable, especially women and young people. The establishment of the Migrant Workers Resource Centre represents an important step towards strengthening institutional mechanisms that support safe, orderly and regular labour migration.

The Migrant Resource Centre we inaugurate today represents a practical and concrete mechanism for advancing safe, orderly, and regular labour migration. More importantly, it demonstrates Tanzania's commitment to ensuring that migration becomes a pathway to decent work, dignity, and opportunity rather than vulnerability and exploitation

Ms. Caroline Mugalla, Director, ILO Country Office for the United Republic of Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda

The launch event included remarks from TUCTA, the ILO, the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE), IOM, and PMO-LER. TUCTA also presented the Centre's vision, services, and operational model, while returned migrant workers shared their experiences and highlighted the importance of accessible support mechanisms before, during and after migration. Participants concluded the event with the official unveiling of the MRC plaque, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a guided tour of the facility.

The MRC will provide a range of services designed to support informed and rights-based migration decisions, including pre-departure information and orientation, guidance on fair recruitment practices, labour rights counselling, psychosocial support, referral services, reintegration assistance, and awareness-raising on risks related to trafficking and forced labour. Managed by TUCTA and supported by the ILO, the Centre is expected to serve as a model of good practice for strengthening migrant worker support systems in Tanzania and the wider East and Horn of Africa region. It builds on experiences from similar Migrant Resource Centres supported in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda.