By Dr Ruth Aisha Biyinzika Kasolo
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Externalisation of labor in Uganda refers to Ugandans seeking employment opportunities outside the country, is driven by limited job opportunities and static employment within Uganda.
While externalization can provide life-changing opportunities and contribute significantly to Uganda’s economy through remittances, it also presents challenges and risks for migrant workers.
My take about this practice, which is increasing by the day, is that we urgently need to establish an institution that trains people for external labour.
Such an institution should first and foremost identify those skills that are needed in the destination countries.
My express advice to the Ugandan Government is for it to come up with regulations that for any of its citizen to be allowed to migrate and do domestic or casual work, they should have proof that they have been properly trained, certified, and are able to speak the languages in the countries where they are migrating.
The skills to be imparted should move along the lines of the popular areas of employment, such as driving, building construction, tour guiding, teaching, caring for old people, cleaning, cooking, counseling and guidance, among others.
We need to put more efforts in ensuring that government, working with the private sector, the Ministry of Education and Sports, the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and responsible state agencies come up with standards on training particular programs.
The end result will be that Ugandans living and working abroad will be safe, have self-esteem, and focused, since they will be conversant with whatever they are engaged in.
If such an arrangement is made, their income may double or even triple. Countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Cambodia earn millions of dollars through externalization of labour, because they have even established schools to train the laborers.
If one looks at the returns for Uganda, compared to those of India, that country almost gets 100 times of what Uganda earn in labour exports.
According to Indian law, for someone to move abroad for work, they need to have obtained specialized training. That is why you find them in hotels, the medical sector and product manufacturing firms, vocations which are highly paid.”
My feeling is that some of the responsibility to train Ugandans casual workers should fall on labour exporting firms.
These companies should ensure that before they go, our fellow Ugandans are properly trained and skilled in many areas. These workers should shun fake companies which are not registered.
It’s on record that many of these “fake companies” take Ugandans abroad whose whereabouts or wellbeing they cannot even track while at the work stations where they had been posted.
May God bless Uganda.
