The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), is organizing a regional workshop in Mombasa, Kenya from 26 to 27 March 2025 to review and validate a consolidated report on enhancing free movement of persons, labour mobility, and skills portability in Africa.

The event forms part of a joint ECA-AUC project aimed at promoting regular migration pathways across the continent and addressing institutional and policy barriers that limit labour mobility.

Focused on Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia, the report distills findings from national studies and stakeholder consultations, with practical recommendations for advancing implementation of the AU Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and aligning it with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Participants will include government officials, migration experts, civil society representatives, regional bodies, and international partners. The two-day workshop will also serve as a platform for exchanging experiences and strengthening momentum toward the ratification and operationalization of the Free Movement Protocol.

A new mobile application is poised to enhance management of grievances at Regional Flagship Technical and Vocational Institutions in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania supported by the World Bank through the Eastern Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP).

The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the Regional Facilitation Unit (RFU) for EASTRIP, is coordinating the development and implementation of this centralized Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) mobile app.

The development of the Mobile App comes at a time when technical and vocational education institutes are implementing various infrastructure projects, as part of EASTRIP, that require continuous tracking of grievances and complaints associated with project implementation.

The GRM App is a result of a collaborative effort between Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) and IUCEA. DIT is one of the Regional Flagship TVET Institute in ICT that is supported by EASTRIP. The mobile app is designed to be more convenient for application by all project stakeholders.

Speaking at the Validation Workshop in held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr. Cosam Joseph, the Regional Coordinator for EASTRIP, said: “The workshop is important in gathering feedback, discussing necessary improvements, and establishing a timeline for the app’s complete operationalization”.

Sputnik international news agency and radio held its first online SputnikPro session for the School of Journalism and Communication at Addis Ababa University, the oldest institution of higher education in Ethiopia.

During the event Vasily Pushkov, Director of International Cooperation at Sputnik, delivered a lecture on the current state of global communications and the key principles of work of an international multimedia outlet. Victoria Budanova, Head of Sputnik Africa, showcased the agency’s cutting-edge AI initiatives, including its multilingual virtual news anchors.

Dr. Elias Worku Wordofa, Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, remarked: “It was an eye opening and insightful lecture from both presenters. Such interventions have the opportunity to balance the dominant narratives in place for so long. We believe that media and information literacy are critical to all community including students and academic community.”

The event was held as part of a lecture series for Russian and international universities titled “The Global Majority and the Challenges of Neocolonialism”, supported by the Gorchakov Fund for Public Diplomacy and the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization “Center for Humanitarian and Educational Initiatives.”

Instant payment systems and building digital inclusivity in Africa has cost and efficiency benefits but many issues still need to be tackled to build trust among consumers, speakers said at a panel discussion held during the 2025 Conference of African Finance Ministers.

“Cross-border payment systems can be a game-changer in advancing the AfCFTA. They accelerate the time and reduce the cost of doing a transaction and address perennial foreign exchange constraints,” said Hanan Morsey, Deputy Executive Secretary (Programmes) and Chief Economist, ECA.

But many issues need to be addressed on this journey, she said. These include putting in place supportive regulations, looking at issues of digital infrastructure and interoperability and ensuring data privacy and safeguarding information.

“This goes beyond the central bank of one country and to how we can have that oversight at a continental level.”

“We also need to look at digital public infrastructure and see what we need from a cross-border perspective, and how to bring down costs of the internet to improve access.”