Domestic worker pact between Kuwait and Ethiopia still on hold
The Association of Future Ethiopian Agencies notified Kuwaiti firms that the Kuwait-Ethiopia domestic worker MoU is not yet effective due to a halt in visa issuance by Ethiopia’s Migration Directorate.
• Bassam Al-Shammari, a specialist in domestic labor affairs, urged companies and local recruitment offices to engage with relevant government agencies to expedite the necessary measures and enforce the agreement, including the prompt issuance of visas.
The Association of Future Ethiopian Agencies, representing owners of companies and offices exporting domestic workers, has formally notified its members and Kuwaiti recruitment firms that the recently signed memorandum of understanding between Kuwait and Ethiopia on domestic worker employment has not yet come into effect.
According to Q8-Press, the association cited that “the General Directorate of Migration in Ethiopia is not issuing employment visas” at this time.
The association stated in its address, a copy of which was obtained by the newspaper, that “Ethiopia has signed bilateral agreements aimed at strengthening and developing cooperation in the field of manpower with various Gulf countries. These agreements, once signed, must be discussed and ratified by the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives. The bilateral agreement between Ethiopia and Kuwait is among these recently signed agreements. However, despite its ratification by the Kuwaiti government, it has not yet come into effect.”
It added that “the Ethiopian government is making strenuous efforts through its mission and embassy in Kuwait to implement the agreement by registering and approving citizens who meet the necessary requirements to work abroad. However, the key obstacle to the agreement’s implementation remains the failure of Kuwait’s General Directorate of Immigration to issue visas to Ethiopian citizens.”
Three months on, Kuwait-Ethiopia domestic worker recruitment still stalled
Bassam Al-Shammari, a specialist in domestic labor affairs, urged companies and local recruitment offices to engage with relevant government agencies to expedite the necessary measures and enforce the agreement, including the prompt issuance of visas.
In this regard, Al-Shammari stated, “Despite more than three months passing since the issuance of Decree No. 174 of 2024, which approved the memorandum of understanding on domestic worker employment between Kuwait and Ethiopia, the recruitment process remains stalled, with no significant progress to accelerate the arrival of this labor force.”
He attributed the delay to slow government procedures and the Ministry of Interior’s failure to officially announce the opening of visas for Ethiopian workers.
Al-Shammari called on the relevant authorities to resolve all pending procedures to allow recruitment to begin as soon as possible, noting that local offices are awaiting visa approvals to finalize recruitment contracts.
He reiterated that Ethiopian workers represent the best available alternative to address any anticipated shortage in Kuwait’s domestic labor market, particularly given the limited number of labor-exporting countries Kuwait currently deals with.