NATIONAL POLICY ON LABOUR MIGRATION

What Is This Policy?

The National Policy on Labour Migration (NPLM) is Nigeria's framework for governing the movement of workers — regulating the recruitment, deployment, protection, and reintegration of Nigerian migrant workers abroad, and managing the entry and working conditions of foreign workers in Nigeria, in a safe, orderly, and rights-respecting manner.

Who Does It Target?

Nigerian workers migrating abroad for employment — skilled professionals, domestic workers, and vulnerable irregular migrants Private employment agencies (PEAs) and recruiters deploying Nigerians internationally Returning Nigerian migrants seeking reintegration support, skills recognition, and livelihood assistance Foreign workers and professionals seeking employment in Nigeria The Nigerian diaspora — highly skilled professionals in technology, healthcare, science, and finance who may invest or transfer skills

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Ensure labour migration occurs in freedom, dignity, and safety — protecting workers from exploitation, trafficking, and irregular migration Maximise development benefits: remittance facilitation, skills transfer, and diaspora investment mobilisation Reduce irregular migration by creating legal, safe, and well-governed pathways for Nigerian workers going abroad Build bilateral labour agreements (BLAs) with key destination countries to formalise deployment and protection standards

Key Features

Four Strategic Goals: Governance; Protection of migrant workers' rights; Maximising development benefits; Diaspora engagement and skills transfer Licensed PEA Regulation: Strict licensing and monitoring of private employment agencies to prevent fraudulent recruitment, trafficking, and exploitative contracts Bilateral Labour Agreements: Existing BLAs with Italy, Spain, and Ireland; expanded programme targeting GCC and EU destination countries NELEX Digital Registry: National Electronic Labour Exchange — digital platform matching migrant workers to verified overseas opportunities Return & Reintegration SOPs: Standard Operating Procedures for dignified return and economic reintegration of returnee migrants including business start-up support Gender-Responsive Framework: 2021 revision includes dedicated protections for women — recognising their heightened vulnerability to trafficking and domestic servitude

Current Status

Rollout Stage: Active (2014 policy); 2021 revision validated and pending FEC re-adoption and re-gazetting Implementing Body: Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment; National Directorate of Employment (NDE); NAPTIP; Nigeria Immigration Service; NACA Coverage: Both outbound (Nigerians abroad) and inbound (foreign workers in Nigeria) labour migration Context: Nigeria is a country of origin, transit, and destination — estimated 1.7M documented Nigerians in diaspora Funding: FMLE budget, IOM Development Fund, EU migration partnerships, GIZ Programme for Migration and Development

How to Access

Workers Seeking Overseas Employment: Verify recruiter registration in FMLE's licensed PEA register; use NELEX platform for verified overseas job opportunities: nelex.gov.ng Returning Migrants: Contact FMLE or NDE for reintegration support — skills assessment, business grants, and psychosocial counselling Victims of Trafficking: Contact NAPTIP: naptip.gov.ng | Toll-free: 0800-NAPTIP-1 (0800-627847-1) Diaspora Engagement: Contact Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDOE) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diaspora Desk for investment and skills transfer

Important Terms

Licensed PEAs Only: Only use FMLE-licensed Private Employment Agencies for overseas placement — unlicensed agencies are illegal and often linked to trafficking Keep Your Contract: Nigerian workers abroad are protected by ILO conventions and destination-country labour laws; retain all employment contracts

Official Resources

Website: labour.gov.ng | nelex.gov.ng | naptip.gov.ng NAPTIP Hotline: 0800-627-847-1 | IOM Nigeria: +234 (0) 9 461 5985 Contact: Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja Policy Summary | Source: ILO Nigeria, IOM Nigeria, FMLE, publications.iom.int, NAPTIP, OHCHR | February 2026

Legal Framework

The National Policy on Labour Migration operates under the Labour Act, the Immigration Act 2015, and the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015. It aligns with Nigeria's bilateral labour agreements with destination countries, ILO Conventions 97 and 143 on migration for employment, the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers, and the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment.