APA-Lilongwe (Malawi) Malawi’s Labour Minister Agnes NyaLonje has admitted that her ministry bypassed some procedures during the process that led to a controversial labour export deal with Israel.
NyaLonje said some procedures were not followed during the recruitment of Malawians to work in Israel under a labour export agreement between Lilongwe and Tel Aviv.
“The Ministry of Labour got a request to recruit and the request was cleared before we could alert our colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to do the due diligence on the companies that wanted to import labour from Malawi,” NyaLonje told journalists in Lilongwe.
The due diligence would allow the Malawian authorities to verify the authenticity and legality of any foreign companies or agents seeking to recruit locals to work in their countries.
The departure of hundreds of Malawians to Israel last week to work as farm labourers has sparked a debate within the southern African country, which is looking to raise much-needed foreign currency amid a cash crunch.
The move comes after months of Malawi facing a forex shortage that has disrupted businesses and led to the scarcity of essential commodities like fuel.
JN/APA