Monday June 22, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) – Newsroom leaders from across Eastern Africa have vowed to sharpen fact-based, ethical coverage of migration and labour mobility after a three-day regional gathering in Mombasa, Kenya, from 18 to 20 June 2026.
The Eastern Africa Regional Meeting on Media Capacity Building on Informed Migration Narratives and Local Opportunities brought together leaders of journalists’ unions and media professionals from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The forum was organised by the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) in partnership with the Federation of Eastern Africa Journalists (FEAJ), with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) Programme, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The meeting was hosted by the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ).
Eastern Africa remains one of the continent’s busiest migration corridors, with countries in the region acting as origins, transit points and destinations for migrants and migrant workers. Labour mobility continues to influence job markets, economic growth and regional integration, placing migration among the most pressing public interest issues confronting African societies.
Three prominent Somali journalists representing the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) were among the participants, joining counterparts from across Eastern Africa in discussions on how to strengthen responsible reporting and promote evidence-based coverage of migration and labour mobility.
The regional meeting is part of broader work by FAJ and its affiliates to carry forward the commitments set out in the Dakar Communiqué on Labour Migration Reporting and the African Narrative, developed in 2024 with support from the African Union, the ILO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). It also aimed to advance the Kigali Action Plan on Communicating Labour Migration and Mobility in Africa, adopted after a FAJ-ILO capacity-building workshop in Kigali, Rwanda, in January 2025.
Aida Awel, Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO’s Better Regional Migration Management Programme, said the training marked a meaningful step toward improving balanced and informed reporting on migration and employment.
“By equipping journalists with the knowledge and tools to report accurately and responsibly, we are contributing to greater public awareness, accountability and regional cooperation on issues that affect millions,” Awel said.
FAJ President Omar Faruk Osman said the meeting underscored the organisation’s drive to strengthen public interest journalism and promote reporting grounded in evidence on migration and labour mobility across Africa.
“Migration is one of the most significant public interest issues facing Africa today. Journalists have a responsibility to report it accurately and responsibly by exposing the risks of irregular migration, horrendous abuses and exploitations while highlighting opportunities available within our countries and across the region,” Osman said.
He said journalists also play a central role in pushing back against misinformation and disinformation by making sure migration debates are rooted in verified facts.
“In an age of rampant misinformation and disinformation, public interest journalism, where information integrity is consciously preserved, is essential to ensuring that migration narratives are guided by facts rather than false promises and unrealistic expectations,” he added.
Over the three days, participants looked closely at migration patterns, labour mobility trends and the social and economic pressures driving movement across Eastern Africa. The discussions focused on how journalists can help deepen public understanding of migration while supporting informed, evidence-based debate on issues affecting migrants, migrant workers and host communities.
A key moment of the forum was the regional launch of the ILO Toolkit on Migration Reporting, which offers practical guidance for journalists covering migration and labour mobility. Participants assessed how the toolkit could raise professional standards and encourage more ethical, accurate and context-aware reporting across the region.
The meeting also tackled the dangers linked to irregular migration, forced labour and human trafficking, while stressing the need for ethical reporting that protects vulnerable communities and avoids sensationalism. Journalists also worked on sharpening their skills in fact-checking, verification and information integrity to keep migration coverage accurate, credible and evidence-based.
Participants additionally urged greater media attention to fair recruitment, employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, vocational training, skills development and legal labour mobility pathways within Eastern Africa. They said balanced journalism should reflect both the opportunities and the risks tied to migration, helping communities make informed choices while challenging misleading narratives that present going abroad as the only path to economic progress.
Beyond migration, leaders of journalists’ organisations held strategic talks on media freedom, journalists’ safety, advocacy priorities and regional solidarity. They also explored cross-border reporting projects, professional exchanges and coordinated advocacy efforts aimed at advancing journalism, defending media freedom and promoting freedom of expression across Eastern Africa.
The meeting ended with the adoption of the Mombasa Statement on Responsible Migration Reporting, reaffirming the commitment of journalists and journalists’ organisations to ethical, balanced and evidence-based coverage of migration and labour mobility.
