On September 10, 2024, Lesotho’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Ts’eliso Mokhosi officially launched the National Labour Migration Committee for Lesotho (NLMCL) in Maseru, the country’s capital. The Minister said that the NLMCL will serve as a state-led regular information sharing and policy dialogue aimed at shaping national governance of labour migration and strengthening complementary policy approaches at the national level in Lesotho by supporting and promoting inter-ministerial policy dialogue. The National Labour Migration Committee for Lesotho will consist of key government ministries or departments concerned with gender, youth, sports, social welfare, labour, data, consular matters, health, mining, education and vocational training, local government, law enforcement as well as legal affairs. It will also include the National Parliament of Lesotho, the National Human Rights Commission and various non stakeholders such as the Lesotho Highlands Water Authority, workers and employers’ representatives, recruitment agency representatives, diaspora groups, migrant workers association, academics and labour migration experts.
Martha Mosoang, General Secretary of the Lesotho Trade Union Congress, stated that the committee’s top priority is the protection of women migrant workers, as their number within and out of the country now surpasses that of men. “Migration trends in Lesotho have shifted with migrant worker numbers of women being more than men.”
The launch was followed by a three-day capacity-building workshop, bringing together government ministries, trade unions, and employers to discuss labour migration governance. Speaking at the launch, Mokhosi stressed the importance of fostering a welcoming environment for migrants while safeguarding their rights. “I urge all of us to find ways and means of promoting a positive image of migrants, ensuring their smooth integration into our country, while protecting their rights without any discrimination,” he said.
NLMCL has been created with the support of African Union (AU), International Organisation on Migration (IOM) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP). The goals and objectives of the JLMP derive from the long-term aspiration of achieving an effective regime of labour mobility for integration and development in Africa, with the necessary governance to sustain it. It focuses on facilitating intra-continental free movement of workers as a crucial means of advancing regional integration and development in Africa.
The NLMCL goals will complement the objectives of the National Consultative Committee (NCC) on migration. The National Consultative Committee on Migration (NCC) of Lesotho is an interministerial mechanism coordinating migration-related policy efforts. NCC is co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and IOM. The members include, among others, the Ministries of Labour and Employment, Development Planning, Education, Social Development, and Foreign Affairs, in addition to social partners, employers and members of trade unions, academia and community-based organizations dealing with migration.
NLMCL will also establish ties with the National Advisory Committee on Labor (NACOLA) to advance social dialogue on consensus building on issues related to labour migration. The NACOLA, chaired by the Principal Secretary for Ministry of Labour and Employment is a tripartite structure.
The African Union Commission (AUC) has hailed the establishment of Lesotho’s National Labour Migration Committee, which aims at improving labour migration governance through collaboration across multiple government ministries. Maemo Machethe, Director of the African Union Continental Operational Centre, remarked that the launch of the NLMCL was a significant step. “We are not just inaugurating a new body but also strengthening the fabric of cooperation and dialogue among key stakeholders,” Machethe remarked.
The committee’s work aligns with the AU’s Migration Policy Framework for Africa (2018-2030), which encourages member states to engage all relevant ministries and establish national coordination mechanisms for migration management. The initiative also reflects the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), underscoring Lesotho’s commitment to addressing migration challenges in line with international standards.
