First ILO project visit by EU high representative /Vice-President in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA (ILO News) - The ILO in collaboration with a local NGO, Women in Self Employment (WISE) welcomed EU High Representative/Vice-President Frederica Mogherini, to give her first-hand information on a project supported by the European Union and to learn about the nature and impact of the interventions on both returnees and their local communities.

The visit featured a bazaar of the businesses by the returnees, an award ceremony for the top performing enterprises both in group and individual category as well as a one on one discussion with some of the returnees on their journey of migration and reintegration.
After handing out prizes for winners of the top performing enterprises competition High Representative/Vice-President Frederica Mogherini offered words of encouragement to the returnees wishing them “success in their personal and professional lives.” In addition she urged them to spread awareness about the risks and dangers related to irregular migration.

“With the EU funded programmes on labour migration, spearheaded by the ILO and the Government of Ethiopia, we are responding to the real needs and concern of the key beneficiaries and stakeholders”, George Okutho, Director of the ILO Country Office for Ethiopia and Somalia said while reaffirming ILO’s continued commitment to support efforts to improve labour migration governance and reintegration in Ethiopia.

W/zo Tsigie Haile, founder and director of WISE noted that they have so far provided various trainings on business development, financial services and life skills to 1200 Saudi returnees based in Addis Ababa. The returnees praise these trainings as having been invaluable to their successful reintegration. However, she added that there is still a ‘need for advanced business management skills training in particular business record keeping and marketing as well as for a pre-departure technical and communication training and orientation on safe migration.”

The forced repatriation of 163,018, Ethiopian migrants from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at the end of 2013/2014, combined with a significant number of reported cases of abuse and mistreatment of migrants have made migration an important socio-economic challenge in Ethiopia. There is a need for greater strategic cooperation on migration as part of the Sustainable Development Agenda, both in terms of protecting rights and promoting migration as an enabler of development.

For more detailed information, please contact and visit: ILO Country Office for Ethiopia and Somalia, | Aida Awel | +2515444165 | [email protected]