By Joyce Nakato

Uganda State Minister Esther Davinia Anyakun has urged the public to help ensure that people seeking work abroad use safe, legal, and regulated channels. 
Hon. Anyakun, the State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, says the Government is committed to empowering youth to succeed at home, so they are not desperate to go abroad irregularly. But it will not stop those looking elsewhere.

Presiding at events to mark International Migrants Day, on 18 December 2024, the minister said: “Let us remember that migration is not something that can be stopped or ignored – it is an inherent part of our global society. The real question is: how can we make it safer, more regulated, and more beneficial for everyone involved?”
Although more than 500,000 Ugandans are estimated to be working in the Middle East, State Minister Anyakun said, barely half migrated using regular channels, for instance through licensed recruitment companies. The minister lamented that despite concerted efforts by the Government, and partners such as IOM, many youths still get lured onto risky migration routes.
International Migrants Day is marked every 18 December, to reflect on the contributions of migrants to development, as well as the challenges they face. For 2024, the day’s events, partially broadcast live on NTV,  were themed on advancing regular migration pathways. Regular pathways are the legal and existing policy frameworks that enable people to move to, enter, stay in, exit or re-enter states along their migration journey in an authorized manner. When migrants are offered safe pathways, it unlocks a range of proven benefits – from helping them to build strong communities, contributing to sustainable development to responding to labour market needs. 

Besides the State Minister, among the other key guests included UN Resident Coordinator Leonard Zulu and other UN agency leaders; donor representatives, Government Commissioners Patrick Okello (Office of the Prime Minister, also Chair of the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration) and Lawrence Egulu (Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development). Others included representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, migrants, and university students.
Students from Makerere University, Kampala International University and Uganda Martyrs’ University debated the importance of safe, regular pathways as a solution to global migration challenges, with Makerere emerging the best.
Ms Sarah Carl, the Officer-in-Charge for IOM Uganda Chief of Mission, underlined the organization’s commitment to delivering on its strategic priorities of saving lives and protecting people on the move, driving solutions to displacement, and facilitating regular migration pathways. She hailed Uganda’s attitude to refugees and migrants as a model for the world.
“Uganda’s migration story is one of resilience, opportunity, and leadership. As a source, transit, and destination country, Uganda demonstrates that migration, when managed well, can be a powerful driver of development,” Ms Carl said.
UN Resident Coordinator Zulu reminded the gathering that migration brings significant benefits in the form of skills, strengthening the labour force as well as cultural diversity to communities of destination. He urged all migration sector players to advocate for the rights and protection of people on the move.
The day’s highlights included a panel discussion on regular pathways, with Commissioner Egulu among the panelists, a rib-cracking but thought-provoking stage drama by Makerere University’s School of Liberal and Performing Arts, a crafts exhibition by migrants and host community members, and energetic performances by a Burundian cultural troupe.
Earlier, on 17 December, IOM Officer-in-charge Sarah Carl and Ministry of Internal Affairs Assistant Commissioner for Immigration Control Marcelino Bwesigye, appeared on NTV Uganda's Morning Show. Here, they delved into the complexities of Uganda’s migration policies and how safe and regular pathways are part of the solution. 

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