German opens door to Kenyan workers in labour deal

Berlin has agreed to allow skilled and semi-skilled Kenyan workers into Germany in a controlled and targeted labour migration deal.

Kenya is struggling with increasing difficulties in providing work and sufficient income for its young professionals, while Germany is facing a shortage of skilled labour.

The German government has said the deal does not specify the number of workers who will be allowed in.

Migration agreements are a central pillar in the German government’s efforts to curb immigration.

The agreement will also simplify the repatriation of Kenyans who are in Germany without legal permission.

Five Kenyan bus drivers have already been welcomed to Flensburg, in the north of Germany, in a pilot project.

Immigration is a huge issue in Germany at the moment, following the rise in popularity of the far-right anti-immigration party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Successive governments in Berlin have allowed relatively large numbers of asylum seekers to settle in the country in recent years.

Germany took in more than one million people, mostly fleeing war in countries such as Syria, during the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, and has received 1.2 million Ukrainians since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The labour deal was signed in Berlin by Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kenya’s President William Ruto.

Germany agreed to ease some of its immigration laws to enable Kenyans to find employment in Europe’s biggest economy.

Authorities in Berlin will also consider extending temporary residence permits for Kenyan workers who have secured an approved job.

Kenyans will also be issued with long-term visas to study or do vocational training in Germany.

“On the expiry of the long-stay visa, Kenyans may receive a temporary residence permit for study purposes in Germany for up to two years,” the agreement states.

The temporary residence permit may be extended if the purpose of residence has not yet been achieved but is achievable within a “reasonable” period, it adds.

According to the deal, IT specialists from Kenya will be allowed to enter and work in Germany, even if they do not have formal qualifications.

Both governments will support the immigration of skilled workers who have finished vocational training or earned a university degree, as long as their qualifications are recognised by the relevant authorities of the other party.

The deal also includes provisions for the readmission and return of citizens between the two nations.

It spells out guidelines to prevent and fight against labour exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking.

While welcoming five Kenyan drivers in Flensburg on Thursday, Schleswig-Holstein’s Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen said Germany was in need of hard-working hands and clever minds.

“We simply have to position ourselves in Germany in such a way that it is attractive to come here,” Mr Madsen added.

The drivers are the first batch of Kenyan workers, who will be trained by the Aktiv bus company in a pilot project, hoping to get a job in Germany.

Doctors, nurses and teachers are among those expected to take part in the programme.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said the deal was expected to significantly increase access to decent foreign jobs for Kenyan workers in Germany and address labour shortages in Germany.

“It includes mechanisms to protect the rights and welfare of Kenyan migrant workers in Germany, ensuring safe, orderly, and productive migration,” ILO added in a statement.

But there are concerns about a brain-drain in Kenya with professionals like doctors and nurses going abroad for jobs, leaving local hospitals with a huge shortage of medical workers.

“It is sad that we are going to service other countries at the expense of our own country,” Ekuru Aukot, a Kenyan lawyer and politician, told the BBC’s Newsday programme.

But Roseline Njogu, a senior foreign affairs official, said Kenya was simply responding to the global labour market demands.

“We have a youth bulge in Kenya and every year we have a million people joining the local labour market. It takes time and resources to create job opportunities at home,” she added.

Correction 14 September 2024: An earlier version of this article put a figure on how many Kenyan workers would be allowed into Germany under the deal. The German interior ministry corrected this to state that the deal did not specify a figure.