Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have signed their first formal bilateral labour recruitment agreement, establishing a structured framework for the employment of Nigerian workers in the Kingdom.
The pact was concluded on Thursday, January 29, 2026, during the Global Labour Market Conference in Riyadh.
The agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi.
It creates licensed and regulated channels for recruiting both skilled and unskilled Nigerian workers, aiming to curb illegal recruitment, ensure fair wages, and safeguard workers’ rights.
Under the framework, employment contracts, wages, working conditions, housing, and welfare provisions will be clearly defined and actively monitored by both governments.
The pact also includes mechanisms to resolve disputes and enforce compliance by employers and recruitment agencies.
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Officials said the deal aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 labour reforms and offers Nigerians safer, structured pathways to overseas employment.
For Nigeria, the agreement provides an avenue to address youth unemployment, currently estimated at over 40 percent, while potentially increasing remittances, which reached $20 billion last year.
While widely supported for creating regulated employment opportunities, critics caution that migrant workers may still face challenges under Saudi Arabia’s labour system and call for strong oversight to prevent exploitation.
The agreement marks a significant milestone in formalising labour migration between the two countries, offering Nigerian workers legal protections and structured employment opportunities while strengthening bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia.