Germany’s migration reforms will target African workers

The German government is expected to pass reforms to its migration law to facilitate the migration of skilled African workers to Germany, according to the country’s Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil.

Heil told DW that the immigration reforms in the envisioned new law will be designed for a modern work system in Germany. He added that he hoped the law would pass this year because Germany needed to “secure the workforce in Germany” and ensure “skilled migration for the future of our country”.

It has always been difficult for African workers who want to migrate to Germany, but according to Heil, the new reforms would address several issues – including bureaucracy.

“The question [of] how to recognize qualifications, the question [of] how to tighten the visa is very important for this”, he explained.

“And so Germany is a modern migration country and if we organize it very well, it is also a win-win situation, as I mentioned, for the countries of origin, for us as a country of immigration and for the migrant workers themselves.”

The average age of Germany’s population is 49 – compared to Ghana’s average of 19, something Heil said shows there are many young people who would look for work in other countries.

“Germany needs skilled migration in the future because of our demographic structure,” he said, adding that Germany should organize this fairly.

Germany must not ‘weaken the workforce of other countries’

But Johann Ivanov, director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ghana, told DW that Germany should not get carried away in its quest to solve its skilled labor deficit, putting African countries at a disadvantage.

He warned that cooperation in this regard should only be pursued for mutual benefit and not to exploit other countries.

“I believe that only if both countries can benefit from this does it make sense,” he said.

“Many people who work in Ghana as specialists, for example in the medical sector, prefer to stay in Ghana because there is a lack of qualified healthcare professionals in the country. Of course, there is a shortage of healthcare professionals in Germany, but that is not how the relationship works. should be.”

He wants Germany to also find innovative ways to deal with its labor crisis and not resort to undermining other countries’ workforces.

Germany has to improve [its] problems by other means,” he said.

Heil and his counterpart, Development Minister Svenja Schulze, are visiting Ghana this week as part of a trip that will end in neighboring Ivory Coast.

The two ministers also witnessed the opening of a Ghanaian-European center for jobs, migration and development in Accra. It was initially initiated by Germany but now has the support of the EU.

Schulze was pleased that an initiative initiated by Germany to encourage irregular Ghanaian migrants to repatriate has now received the support of the European Union.

The counseling center which started operating in 2017 has helped more than 5,000 Ghanaian migrants return to their homeland.

“Many dreams can be [brought] to reality [at this center]”, she said, expressing enthusiasm at the level of progress made in Germany’s effort to streamline its migration policy.

decent working conditions

Schulze and Heil visited some textile factories to interact with workers and advocate for decent working conditions.

Discussions with the Ghanaian authorities focused on providing decent working conditions for some of these workers and improving the human rights of Ghanaian workers in the labor sector.

African countries such as Ghana remain top supply chain destinations for Germany.

“Germany passed a law for the due diligence of companies in global supply chains, taking care of human rights and decent work,” said Heil.

In Ghana’s second largest clothing market, Kantamanto, the two ministers also interacted with traders to understand their challenges and learn about innovations to address the issue of so-called fast fashion – the tendency to wear clothing for shorter periods before playing games. them out absent.

Issues of child labor and how to reduce it in boosting Ghana’s economy in the coming years also came to the fore during the ministers’ visit to Ghana.

“And we’ve talked to ministers and the president here in Ghana about fighting child labor and strengthening the economy in the coming years,” said Heil, emphasizing the need for big companies not to put profit above workers’ rights.

The two ministers also pushed for better cooperation between Germany and Ghana, a country considered Germany’s best destination in Africa for collaboration and partnership on the key development agenda.

Edited by: Keith Walker

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