Uganda is set to sign an official deal with Oman to streamline its labour export business. Year-long negotiations have resulted in a visit early this week to Muscat by Minister of State of Labour, Employment, and Industrial Relations, Esther Anyakun.
Anyakun held a bilateral meeting with Oman’s Labor Minister Mahad Said Ali Baawain regarding the opening up of a new market for both semi-skilled and skilled Ugandầns. To be finalised soon, is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expedite the process of labour migration, to officially recruit Ugandans in Oman.
The visit caps negotiations with the Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs that were initiated in July 2023 by Ingah Atamba Kutesa, the Honorary Consul of the Sultanate of Oman in Uganda. The trips he made to Muscat came against the backdrop of claims that Ugandan workers were being mistreated in Oman and other countries in the Middle East.
“This collaborative effort aims to address Oman’s workforce requirements while also creating employment opportunities for Ugandans,” said Atamba.
“We continue to seek the support of the Oman government in this initiative,” he said, adding, “Our aim is to expedite the process by facilitating negotiations with Uganda on labour externalisation, with the ultimate goal of realising the benefits associated with this endeavour.”
Ugandan officials say external labour has its advantages such as improvement in incomes of the households of migrant workers and acquisition of new and positive work ethics and skills by Ugandan workers
Estimated annual remittances from the migrant workers in the Middle East is said to be close to $600 million per annum.
