Structuring Labour Migration For Better Productivity

T he movement of people from one part of the world to the other is a constant phenomenon which cannot be stopped but controlled at least. It is a truism that human migration is driven by man’s intrinsic desire to always go for the best, even if all of the movements do not always produce the desired re­ sults. The feeling that certain areas are greener, es­ pecially when home is not welcoming enough, not made to hold what others have or seen to be so, is but normal. Logical therefore that despite the peril some have gone through in their quests for pastures that are seemingly green, others continue on the same route, hoping to succeed where their peers failed. “He who risks nothing, has nothing” they would tell anyone who cares to listen. Attempting to ensure that the irresistible migration is done in the best of ways and that it bears good fruit is always salutary. In fact, migration, especially of the labour force, can and should be controlled for the good of the migrant, their families, home and even re­ ceiving countries. This is why the vision caught by Ca­ meroon and development partners to transform labour migration from the brain drain it has been, or seen to be, to a productive ven­ ture for all and sundry, raises lots of hope for better days ahead. Transforming global migratory pressure into a driver of development, the basis of the brainstorming, is more than timely. How well the dream materialises is thus a huge chal­ lenge which stakeholders must strive to surmount. It is common knowledge for observers of global labour trends that while some nations are finding it hard meeting up with their labour challenges, owing to the ageing labour, others are getting confused with its huge labour force which is hardly absorbed by the civil service and struggling private sector. Revelations during the Yaounde meeting that there are over 1.3 million job vacancies per year in Italy, over 500,000 immigrants targeted in Canada and seven million unfilled vacancies in Germany, suggest high demand for labour across the globe. While some countries struggle to fill the gaps, Cameroon and others overflow with the talent. This requires in-depth regulatory policies to better market the country’s highly priced labour force. Striking a balance is mutually-beneficial. A solid base for success is imperative. Skilled and vibrant labour constitutes an export produce like others which can even fetch more to the country. Imagine the contribution of remittances and even skills acquired working in advanced economies to the families and economies back home. There are countries in the world today which do valorise their human and natural resources wholly. For instance, they capitalise on the training and export of human resources from regions that are not blessed with natural resources like others. This, in one way or the other, gives room for traceability and accountability. For, the State knows which of its citizen is working where, what they are doing and can encourage them to invest back home and contribute to growth via policy formulation and project execution in their domains of expertise. This can incite liable diaspora and curtail image-bashing from some citizens who are either tempted to present their regimes as being harsh, in their quest for asylum, or have suffered a lot to seeing nothing good therein. Those that have successfully structured the mobility of their labour force can attest to how it contributes to socio-economic development from skills and tech­ nology transfer through migrant remittances. All these produce huge impacts on individual and collective wellbeing. Cameroon’s National Migration Policy that is awaited from the ongoing reflection should be capable of giving the country a blueprint on how to support and promote safe, orderly and regular migration of h...