By
Kester Kenn Klomegah
Africa-Press – Mauritius. The specter of multipolarity and the fight against growing neocolonialism are now driving Africa. While this trend is reflected in theoretical positions on protecting resource sovereignty, it is largely different in practical perspectives across the continent. As is noticeably known, Africa, undeniably rich in untapped natural resources and available human capital, has been attracting foreign investors. It stands tall these recent years as key global leaders consistently review the framework of policy relations with the continent, the regions, and individual countries.
With the rapidly changing political and economic situation and its associated emerging opportunities, African leaders have identified the possibilities to sign labor agreements with a number of countries in the European Union and further with Asian-Arab states. In the past the term ‘slave trade’ was used, and that transformed into ‘brain drain’ and the current ‘labor agreement,’ denoting the same practice of exporting human resources.
South Africa is considered one of Africa’s economic powers. Located in the southern tip of the continent, its estimated 68 million face a multitude of challenges due to policies that complicate the economic situation in the country. While there is no need to discuss in detail here the huge chance to better its economy by its membership in the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), latest reports at the 8th Summit of South Africa and the European Union (EU) held in March 2025 in Cape Town indicated new bilateral agreements to strengthen trade and investment relations. The agreement also pointed to granting South African workers employment in various sectors to offset the growing labor shortage in the European Union.
One of the most important outcomes of the summit was the announcement by the EU of an investment package worth €4.7 billion (around R90 billion) to support investment projects in South Africa. This package will include grants and loans from European financial institutions and businesses. Among other things, this investment will be used to build South Africa’s vaccine production capacity and boost local pharmaceutical value chains. In addition to investments in transport and digital infrastructure, the package will provide resources for skills development. The package provides opportunities for young people to acquire skills through greater investment in education and science. And the possibility to secure employment across the European Union. It was underlined that South Africa could use its membership in the G20 to capitalize on forging diverse partnerships with G20 members. The EU underscored its unwavering commitment to the mutual well-being and development of the peoples of South Africa.
From the above case of South Africa, there are interpretations over the current level of labor shortage in the European Union. Statista showed in May 2025 that across Europe employers were finding it harder to attract and retain staff with the right skill sets. It was reflected in the growing job vacancy rate in the European Union, with Germany in particular being highlighted as a country experiencing an acute shortage of qualified workers. The report listed Britain, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands as also being the hardest hit with shortages.
Sectors where skilled workers are in short supply include construction, healthcare, software development, and a range of manual professions. Labor and skills shortages are both a short- and long-term challenge for the European economy, slowing down economic growth and straining public services like public health.
Reasons are manifold: structural change in the economy, demographic change and societal developments, unattractive working conditions, or mismatches between workers’ and employers’ preferences are just a few of them. Among the most critical shortage occupations—i.e., shortages that are widespread and severe—were heavy truck drivers, nursing professionals and (specialist) doctors, electricians, roofers, waiters, and construction laborers.
The European Union has a significant labor shortage due to the evolving job market demands. The main factors contributing to the shortage also include the following:
a) Aging population: Many EU countries have a high proportion of older workers retiring, leading to a gap in the workforce. Labor shortages are more pronounced in certain countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, where emigration has reduced the available workforce. Western European nations, while also facing shortages, may have more resources to attract talent from abroad.
b) Post-pandemic recovery: industries such as hospitality, healthcare, and technology are experiencing increased demand for workers as economies rebound from COVID-19. There is a growing disconnect between the skills employers need and those possessed by job seekers, particularly in tech and specialized trades.
Sector-specific insights:
(i) Healthcare: A critical shortage of healthcare professionals, exacerbated by the pandemic, is evident in many member states. (ii) Technology: The tech sector struggles to find qualified candidates, particularly in software development and cybersecurity. (iii) Construction and manufacturing: these industries report difficulties in hiring skilled labor, impacting project timelines and productivity.
Policy responses: some EU countries are implementing measures to attract foreign workers, including streamlined visa processes and incentives for skilled migrants. Training and upskilling programs are being promoted to address the skills gap within the existing workforce. The current statistics show that economic sectors report vacancy rates exceeding 10%, highlighting the urgency of addressing labor shortages. This situation continues to evolve and makes it necessary to monitor labor market trends and policy responses, which are essential for deepening, at least, the basic understanding of the full impact of these shortages.
In addition to South Africa, there are other African countries exporting labor to European and Asian regions. In June 2025, for instance, Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal expressed the desire to sign similar policy agreements. French-speaking African countries, despite their geopolitical confrontation with France, have begun exporting their skilled workers abroad. France has also engaged in reviewing diplomatic relations with English-speaking countries, tapping young students interested in learning French in its higher educational institutions in France.
Over 60% of Africans are under 25. That is not a challenge—it is rather considered a superpower in human resources. To address these workforce challenges, Greek authorities have introduced structured employment categories to simplify the recruitment of foreign nationals. Greek authorities said residence permits would be issued without any bureaucratic hurdles and also swiftly implement other legal requirements for employment. In order to ensure resilience and not rupture, Nigeria moved into an exemplified action by approving to dispatch 360,000 of its citizens to Greece, consequently addressing urgent labor shortages in critical roles across sectors such as tourism, agriculture, healthcare, engineering, and technology. As demand for talent intensifies, Nigerian job seekers are encouraged to explore opportunities in Greece to secure the EU Blue Card, which guarantees long-term employment. Nigeria has similar bilateral agreements to facilitate the export of labor to Britain and Germany. In the United States, official statistics show 760,000 resident Nigerians as of June 2025.
Still in West Africa, for instance, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has also announced the official launch of the Ghana Labour Export Programme, aimed at tackling unemployment by offering young Ghanaians the opportunity to work abroad under structured, fixed-term arrangements. The initiative forms part of the government’s broader strategy to create sustainable employment through international partnerships. “There are labor shortages in many countries across the world,” according to President Mahama, and he would be negotiating with several of those countries to export skilled professionals to work on fixed-term contracts around the world.
In a post on his official X account, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, together, succeeded in their negotiation of a bilateral agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), sealing a labor export deal to secure job opportunities for Ghanaian youth as a significant aspect of strengthening strategic cooperation. As widely reported by the local and foreign media, one of the core focus areas of the discussions was the establishment of a sustainable labor export system to facilitate employment of Ghanaian youth in the UAE.
For many African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa, and even the Anglophones such as Burkina Faso, Congo, Guinea, and Senegal, the program will span various sectors, including agriculture, construction, healthcare, hospitality, and logistics. Categories of workers set to benefit include electricians, welders, mechanics, nurses, chefs, caterers, drivers, warehouse supervisors, and machine operators—highlighting the broad scope of skills in demand internationally. These African governments primarily set out to formalize the labor export to maximize financial remittances. Remittances from the United States are estimated at US$54 billion and from the European Union at €39.7 billion in the report from the ‘Migration and Development Brief,’ a report issued by the World Bank. Similar reports were also released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The global landscape is speedily evolving into what is often referred to as multipolarity, which implies taking shelter in the world architecture. “Multipolar” simply means striking corporate deals and establishing economic relations without discriminating. African leaders have adopted non-discriminative positions on many issues and, at the same time, are cautiously taking advantage of emerging opportunities irrespective of geographical location. From north to south and east to west, more chances have arisen as a basis for mutually strategic partnership. In practical terms, Africa has now become a central point of convergence as the world is marked by irreversible shifting powers and economic realignments, and therefore this is an extraordinary time, with its estimated 1.4 billion people, for Africa.
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