ILO engages West African journalists on reframing labour migration reportage

In a bid to reframe the narrative around labour migration and fair recruitment across West Africa, especially in the media, journalists, trade union leaders, and labour advocates from 12 ECOWAS countries convened in Abuja from June 24 to 25, 2025, for a high-level validation workshop on the adaptation ILO media toolkit.

Organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and supported by partners including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Organization of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA), the two-day workshop aimed at equipping journalists to report more ethically, accurately, and constructively on issues of labour migration and migrant workers’ rights.

Representing the ILO’s Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Ms Inviolata Chinyangarara, Specialist on Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV), emphasised the indispensable role the media plays in shaping public perception of migration.

“By reporting on migrant workers’ experiences, the media can shift narratives from fear and hostility towards empathy and human rights,” Chinyangarara stated.

“Ethical and informed journalism can expose human rights abuses, address stereotypes, and highlight the positive contributions of migrants. However, negative narratives can also be amplified, leading to prejudice and stigmatisation.”

She further described the toolkit as a call to action, one that holds systems accountable and elevates the humanity behind migration, encouraging policies rooted in fairness and transparency.

“Today, we have gathered not just as professionals, but as advocates for social justice and decent work for all within the ECOWAS space,” she declared.

The workshop took place against the backdrop of complex labour migration dynamics within West Africa, where individuals cross borders in search of economic opportunity, often facing exploitation, unsafe travel conditions, and policy gaps.

Chinyangarara warned against the dangers of forced labour and unethical recruitment, noting they are not only violations of international labour standards but acts that rob individuals of dignity, safety, and access to decent work.

On his part, Louis Thomasi, Regional Director of the IFJ Africa office in Dakar, Senegal, stressed that African journalists must rise to the responsibility of ethical, accurate, and gender-sensitive reporting, especially in a digital age prone to misinformation and misuse of artificial intelligence in media.

“The Action Plan seeks to ensure the media plays a vital role in promoting the rights of migrants and advancing Africa’s story,” Thomasi affirmed.

He outlined six major pillars of the Action Plan being developed in partnership with the ILO, which include: capacity building for African journalists to tell positive, development-oriented migration stories. Improving access to accurate, official data on labour migration. Adoption of the newly validated Media Toolkit to prevent data falsification. Gender-sensitive journalism to foster inclusive narratives. Public awareness campaigns on labour migration rights and realities. Promoting correct use of migration terminology to enhance public understanding.

“Inaccurate, biased media reporting can lead to misinformation, and at worst, may incite discrimination and unfair treatment,” Thomasi warned.

President of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), Mr. Omar Faruk Osman, in his address, urged media practitioners across the continent to tell Africa’s labour migration story from a national and regional perspective to counter misrepresentation.

“For African journalists, it is also about extending solidarity to our sisters and brothers who migrate for work within Africa and beyond,” he said.

Osman described the ILO Media Toolkit as a vital resource designed to support journalists in their pursuit of accurate, in-depth, and impactful migration reporting.

Also speaking, Comrade John Odah, Executive Secretary of OTUWA, called for stronger media-trade union collaboration.

“This meeting will help to provide more insights on how to address challenges faced by migrants and make them feel at home, especially within the West African sub-region,” he stated.

“We need a strong partnership with the media to push out the real issues in labour migration.”

From the business community, Mr. Thompson Akpabio, Director at the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), underscored the importance of accurate reporting in national development.

“Journalists must not report labour migration from a biased perspective. When the correct position is finally known, significant damage may already have occurred,” he cautioned.

“The media toolkit provides a guide to ensure professionalism, counter misinformation and avoid disinformation.”

Ultimately, the two-day event was a reaffirmation of regional commitment to truth-telling, human rights, and development journalism. It concluded with a resounding call for solidarity and greater capacity-building to empower journalists across the ECOWAS region to tell labour migration stories with accuracy, empathy, and integrity.

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