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IGAD Strengthens Media Capacity to Explain Free Movement and Regional Integration
ENTEBBE, Uganda — 26 August 2026
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development has strengthened the capacity of media and communication professionals to report on free movement of people, labour migration and regional integration across the Horn and East Africa.
The three-day training, held in Entebbe from 24–26 August, was organised by IGAD in collaboration with the International Labour Organization and with financial support from the European Union. It brought together 27 media and communication professionals from seven IGAD Member States, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti and Uganda.
The initiative reflects the growing importance of public understanding to regional integration. Policies governing movement across borders affect workers, businesses, migrants, families and communities, yet they can be poorly understood or vulnerable to misinformation.
Journalists therefore play an important role in explaining how regional agreements affect ordinary people.
For East Africa, labour mobility is increasingly linked to economic integration. Businesses need access to skills, workers seek employment opportunities across borders, and governments are developing systems to manage migration while protecting migrants' rights.
Better reporting can contribute to informed public debate and reduce misconceptions around migration.
The training also brought together media from different platforms, including radio, television, print and digital media. This reflects the increasingly fragmented information environment in which regional policy is communicated.
The development significance goes beyond journalism. Effective regional integration requires citizens to understand both its opportunities and responsibilities.
For IGAD and its partners, strengthening media capacity can therefore become part of a broader investment in regional cooperation.
The long-term objective is to help create a public information environment in which free movement, labour mobility and regional integration are understood through evidence rather than misinformation and political narrative.
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