It is against this background that the African Trade Unions Network for Migration (ATUMNET), which is made up of all ITUC-Africa affiliates in 51 of the 55 African countries, organized a meeting from 10 to 12 April 2018 at the Golden Tulip Hotel, in Lagos, Nigeria, to devote more attention to issues related to labour migration and the Global Compact on Migration.

Around 50 participants took part in this workshop. These included participants from Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Chad, Togo, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy, as well as ITUC-Africa representatives and ILO experts.

The 3-day workshop evolved around discussions on presentations and field visits to migration resource centre in Lagos. Participants were able to:

1. (i) reflect and discuss on strategies and practical approaches aimed at ratifying Conventions 97, 143 and 189 in at least 5 countries before next Congress in 2019;
2. (ii) discuss the level of implementation of the AU Declaration on Migration in Africa (AU / 18 / XXV);
3. (iii) consider practical and useful approaches to achieving fair recruitment and better protection of African migrants; and
4. (iv) reflect on the assistance to be provided to African migrants who are returning voluntarily in order to facilitate their effective rehabilitation and reintegration.

At the end of the workshop, the following recommendations were made:

• Unions should comment on government reports;

• Network members will give priority to the ratification of Conventions 97, 143 and 189 and other related conventions that advance the rights of migrants and their families. In this regard, ITUC-Africa, in partnership with the ILO (MIGRANT and ACTRAV), will provide technical, material and any other support for the ratification campaign;

• Members of the network will intensify their engagement with their governments to positively influence the ongoing cycle of the United Nations Global Compact on Migration (GCM), by promoting the decent work agenda for all migrants.

• It was also agreed that ITUC-Africa should contact the ILO and other support organizations to help African trade unions build their capacity to ensure fair recruitment practices that will help reduce and ultimately eliminate exploitation and violation of migrants’ rights. ITUC-Africa will provide a trade unions’ guide on ratification at national level.