Tanzania has called for a new phase of cooperation between Africa and the Gulf States in managing labour migration, with governments seeking to transform diplomatic commitments into practical mechanisms that protect migrant workers while opening wider opportunities for skilled employment.
Speaking during the second Doha Dialogue in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s Minister for Labour, Employment and Labour Relations, Hon. Deus Sangu, said the meeting had provided a strategic platform for African and Gulf countries to address longstanding challenges surrounding the movement of African workers into Gulf labour markets, while building a framework that can make labour migration safer, more orderly and mutually beneficial.
The Dar es Salaam meeting follows the inaugural Doha Dialogue held in Doha, Qatar, in 2024, where participating countries agreed that the second edition should be hosted on the African continent. Tanzania subsequently became the host, bringing together African countries through the African Union alongside representatives from Gulf countries and other participating states.
Sangu said the significance of the dialogue goes beyond the traditional discussion of employment opportunities, as it places the protection and welfare of migrant workers at the centre of Africa-Gulf cooperation. He said concerns relating to wages, contractual obligations, workers’ rights, healthcare and social protection have for years remained important issues in the movement of African labour to Gulf economies, making structured dialogue between countries increasingly necessary.
According to Sangu, Tanzania sees the dialogue as an opportunity to establish stronger mechanisms that protect workers throughout the entire employment cycle, from recruitment and deployment to the completion of contracts and eventual return to their countries of origin. He said the discussions had placed particular emphasis on social security, arguing that bilateral labour agreements should provide workers with meaningful protection even after they complete their employment contracts abroad.
The minister said social security would now be treated as a priority in Tanzania’s labour agreements with partner countries, particularly because many workers return home after years of employment without adequate arrangements to protect the contributions and benefits they accumulated while working abroad.
Healthcare has also emerged as a central component of the discussions. Sangu said migrant workers sometimes face serious difficulties when they require medical treatment in foreign countries, making appropriate health insurance and clearly defined healthcare arrangements an essential part of future labour agreements.
The dialogue has further addressed concerns over wages and alleged unlawful deductions, with Sangu noting that some workers have experienced situations where their salaries have been reduced in ways that do not comply with agreed employment conditions. He said the discussions with Gulf countries had produced commitments to strengthen labour laws and practices in line with international standards, including those promoted by the International Labour Organization.
At the same time, the nature of employment opportunities available to African workers in Gulf countries is changing. Sangu said the demand was increasingly shifting away from predominantly unskilled labour towards skilled professionals, creating new opportunities for African countries with growing pools of qualified human resources.
He said the Gulf countries were seeking professionals in sectors including healthcare, with demand for doctors and pharmacists, as well as technicians and engineers. For Tanzania, the development represents a potentially important employment corridor for its skilled workforce, particularly as Gulf economies continue to invest in infrastructure, healthcare and other sectors requiring specialised expertise.
Sangu said Tanzania’s position had also benefited from the performance of Tanzanian workers already employed in Gulf countries. He noted that their reliability, discipline and work ethic had contributed to growing confidence in Tanzanian workers, encouraging Gulf partners to explore further opportunities for cooperation with the country.
Beyond the main dialogue, Tanzania held a series of bilateral and side meetings with representatives from different Gulf countries to explore additional employment opportunities. Sangu said those engagements could lead to further labour agreements and expand opportunities for Tanzanians seeking employment in Gulf labour markets.
However, the emerging cooperation is not being framed solely around sending workers abroad. Sangu said Tanzania and its partners were also considering how returning workers could bring back skills and experience acquired in Gulf countries, enabling them to become more employable and contribute to economic activity in their countries of origin.
This approach potentially gives labour migration a wider economic meaning, transforming it from a simple movement of workers between countries into a channel for skills development, human-capital transfer and broader economic cooperation between Africa and the Gulf.
Sangu said the most important outcome of the Dar es Salaam dialogue was the decision to move from commitments to practical action. He said countries would establish technical teams to monitor bilateral labour agreements and ensure that commitments made during the dialogue are followed through and implemented.
He said the effectiveness of the process would ultimately be measured by what happens after the meeting, rather than by the commitments made inside the conference room. The technical follow-up mechanisms are therefore expected to play a critical role in ensuring that agreements relating to wages, healthcare, social security, workers’ rights and skills development translate into tangible outcomes.
Sangu said participants would reconvene after two years to assess progress made since the Dar es Salaam dialogue and determine the extent to which the commitments reached under Doha Dialogue 2 have been implemented.
The meeting therefore places Tanzania within a broader Africa-Gulf conversation in which labour mobility is increasingly becoming intertwined with diplomacy, economic development, human-capital investment and social protection.
As Gulf economies continue to seek skilled workers and African countries look for wider employment opportunities for their growing labour forces, the framework emerging from Dar es Salaam could become an important reference point for how the two regions manage the opportunities and challenges of cross-border employment.
The central challenge now is implementation: ensuring that the movement of African workers to Gulf economies generates employment and skills opportunities while simultaneously guaranteeing decent wages, healthcare, social protection and respect for workers’ rights.
For Tanzania, the Doha Dialogue 2 has therefore opened a new chapter in Africa-Gulf labour cooperation, with the focus shifting from what governments have promised to what they can collectively deliver.