By Asha Elmi - Reporter
ENTEBBE, 26 August 2026 – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has started a three-day training workshop for journalists on free movement, labour migration and regional integration.
The workshop runs from Aug. 24 to 26 in Uganda and is organized by IGAD with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union, according to the Djiboutian Information Agency (ADI).
Journalists, communication professionals, government representatives and media organizations from several IGAD member states are taking part.
The training aims to strengthen coverage of regional mobility and improve public understanding of the economic and social implications of free movement, labour migration and regional integration.
“When mobility is well governed, borders become points of connection rather than barriers to opportunities,” Lucy Daxbacher, IGAD's senior coordinator for the free movement project, said at the opening, according to ADI.
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Participants will examine the IGAD Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, adopted in 2021, and its main provisions. Discussions will also cover links between mobility, employment, decent work, cross-border trade, development and regional cooperation.
The ILO urged journalists to provide balanced and fact-based reporting, saying coverage of regional integration, free movement and labour migration remains limited in the IGAD region.
Ephrem Getnet, the ILO's chief technical adviser for the free movement and transhumance project, said migration reporting should go beyond official figures to reflect the experiences of traders, workers, students, entrepreneurs and families affected by cross-border movement, according to ADI.
The training is part of the second phase of an IGAD project supporting free movement of persons and transhumance in the region, implemented in partnership with the ILO and funded by the EU.
The workshop is expected to allow journalists to exchange experiences and strengthen professional networks.
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