Efforts to build a safer, fairer and more structured system for labour mobility between Africa and the Gulf have taken centre stage in Dar es Salaam, as Tanzania hosts the Second Doha Dialogue on Labour Mobility between Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC+) countries.
Rais wa Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, representing President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, officially opened the high-level dialogue on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam.
In his address, Dr. Mwinyi called on African and Gulf countries to deepen cooperation on labour mobility, stressing that the movement of workers across borders must be safe, orderly, rights-based and beneficial to workers, employers and economies on both sides.
He said political commitments between Africa and the Gulf should now be translated into concrete policies, bilateral agreements and implementable programmes capable of producing measurable improvements in the lives of migrant workers and their families.
The President of Zanzibar further stressed the need to strengthen recruitment systems, protect workers' rights and improve mechanisms governing international employment, particularly through stronger bilateral labour agreements between countries of origin and destination.
He also underlined the importance of reliable data in shaping labour-mobility policies, noting that effective planning requires governments to understand the changing nature of labour markets, skills demand and the movement of workers across regions.
The call comes as labour mobility increasingly occupies an important place in Africa–Gulf relations, with African countries seeking wider employment opportunities for their growing working-age populations, while Gulf economies continue to rely on international workers across a range of sectors.
Dr. Mwinyi said Tanzania would continue to support stronger cooperation between Africa and the Gulf based on the principles of mutual benefit and shared responsibility.
He emphasised that the future of Africa–Gulf labour relations should not be measured solely by the number of workers crossing borders, but also by the quality of recruitment systems, protection of workers' rights, access to justice and the economic and social benefits generated by labour mobility.
The Second Doha Dialogue therefore provides a platform for countries on both sides to address some of the structural challenges associated with labour migration while exploring practical areas of cooperation, including skills development, fair recruitment, decent work, social protection and access to justice.
The meeting also reflects a broader shift in the Africa–Gulf relationship, in which labour mobility is increasingly viewed not only as an employment issue but also as an important component of economic cooperation, human capital development and sustainable development.
Unlike the inaugural dialogue held in Doha, Qatar, the second edition is being hosted in Africa, with Tanzania providing the venue for discussions bringing together governments and international organisations around the future of labour mobility between the two regions.
The dialogue has brought together representatives from more than 33 countries, including African states, GCC+ countries, Jordan and Lebanon, alongside regional and international institutions involved in labour, migration and development.
Among the senior officials attending the meeting are Qatar's Minister of Labour, H.E. Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri; Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office responsible for Labour, Employment and Relations, H.E. Deus Clement Sangu; Zanzibar's Minister for Labour, Employment, Youth and Empowerment, H.E. Ali Suleiman Ameir Mrembo; and Tanzania's Ambassador to Qatar, H.E. Habibu Awesi Mohamed.
The gathering is also being attended by representatives of international and regional organisations, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of labour mobility and its implications for development, migration governance and international cooperation.
For Tanzania, hosting the Second Doha Dialogue places Dar es Salaam at the centre of an important conversation linking Africa's labour markets with the economies of the Gulf, while creating space for the country to contribute to discussions on fair recruitment, skills mobility and stronger institutional cooperation.
At the heart of the dialogue is a shared question: how can Africa and the Gulf transform the movement of workers between the two regions into a system that protects people while creating economic opportunities?
For participating countries, the answer will depend on whether political commitments can be converted into practical agreements, stronger institutions and policies that make labour mobility safer, more predictable and mutually beneficial.