Italy Sant’Egidio: Work corridors initiative in Africa

Rome: The Rome-based Catholic lay organization Sant’Egidio and Mays International have launched a work corridors initiative to facilitate legal labor migration to Italy. The project, starting in Ivory Coast and expanding to Lebanon and Ethiopia, aims to connect skilled workers with job opportunities while addressing labor market needs.

Sant’Egidio announced on its website that the mission marked the first step in implementing work corridors — a new initiative aimed at enabling the legal entry of migrants sought after by the Italian economy.

The project follows an agreement signed in April with Italy’s Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Labor and is being carried out in collaboration with Manpower and Mays International, a company specializing in international project management.

According to the statement, the goal is to identify candidates for legal labor migration while ensuring they receive the necessary training and professional development to meet the needs of Italian businesses.

Ivory Coast was the first country visited as part of the initiative, which will also include Lebanon and Ethiopia. The mission involved a team of Sant’Egidio operators and Mays International staff.

Inspired by the humanitarian corridors model—which has enabled nearly 8,000 vulnerable refugees to enter Europe legally (including Italy, France, Belgium, and Andorra)—this marks the first time such an approach is being applied to labor migration. Initially, the program will support 300 individuals seeking legal employment in Italy while contributing to the country’s economic development.

According to Sant’Egidio, the mission’s outcome includes gathering key elements to finalize a proposal for presentation to the relevant ministries. A group of Ivorian candidates has already been selected based on their qualifications and will receive additional training in electromechanical engineering—an area of growing demand in Italy’s job market.