Kenya has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canada-based Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) that is meant to open safe and ethical pathways for skilled Kenyan youth and refugees living in Kenya to take up jobs in Canada.

The signing, chaired by Labour and Skills Development Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime, was attended by Canadian High Commissioner Joshua Tabah and TBB Canada chief executive Lara Dyer.

Health, education and construction

According to KBC, the partnership will focus on health, education and construction, matching Kenyan workers with Canadian employers, assessing skills and supporting candidates through the migration process.

Dyer said the agreement would open international job opportunities both for skilled refugees hosted in Kenya and for Kenyan young people. TBB has committed to follow up on workers after they are recruited to safeguard their rights and welfare.

"I am extremely excited with the fact that it has taken less than a year for us to sign this MOU," Mwadime said, according to the Eastleigh Voice. "What we want to see now is action taking place and our young people accessing the labour market in Canada."

Cracking down on rogue recruiters

The deal comes amid growing concern over Kenyans who have been exploited by overseas recruiters, including job seekers lured abroad with false promises. Officials said the National Employment Authority has reduced the number of licensed recruitment agencies by about half, with the remaining agencies receiving capacity-building support from the International Labour Organization.

The government also plans to turn training institutions into recruitment centres so that skills taught in colleges are linked directly to jobs at home and abroad.

Building on earlier missions

The MoU follows a Kenyan delegation's visit to Canada in September, led by Mwadime, which included talks with the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick. Kenya hosted Canadian delegations in Nairobi last year as the two countries worked towards a wider labour mobility framework.

Kenya already has a bilateral labour agreement with Germany and an MoU with Italy. The latest pact comes days after Saudi Arabia suspended visas for travellers from Kenya over Ebola fears, a move that has hit job seekers bound for the Gulf.

Photos: KBC; Ministry of Labour via The Eastleigh Voice. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.