Kenya
is leading the push to harmonise human resource standards across the East
African region after the formulation of first regional HR body.
This
is following the appointment of Institute of Human Resource Management Kenya
Executive Director Quresha Abdullahi as the inaugural president of the newly
established East Africa HR Federation.
The
appointment, announced at the Africa Human Resource Summit in Arusha, Tanzania,
hands Kenya an influential role in shaping efforts to standardise HR
qualifications, professional practice and workforce policies across the East
African Community.
For
businesses operating across multiple markets, the push could eventually help
address one of the region's persistent challenges: differing professional standards
and employment practices that can complicate the movement and deployment of
skilled workers.
The
federation has been established to strengthen cooperation among HR professional
bodies within East Africa and drive discussions around the harmonisation of
standards governing the profession.
At
the centre of the agenda is the question of whether the region can develop more
compatible systems for recognising HR qualifications and professional
credentials across borders, potentially making it easier for certified
professionals to work in different East African countries.
Speaking at the
summit on behalf of the IHRM Council, National Chairman CHRP Odero Phillip
Dalmas welcomed the honour accorded to Kenya through Quresha’s appointment,
describing it as a recognition of the standing the country's HR profession has
earned within the region.
“We welcome the honour accorded to Kenya through
Quresha’s appointment, which is a recognition of the standing our HR profession
has earned within the region. We assure our sister associations across the
continent of Kenya’s continued collaboration as the new federation takes
shape,” said National Chairman CHRP Odero Phillip Dalmas, speaking on behalf of
the IHRM Council.
He assured
delegates of Kenya's continued collaboration with sister associations across
the continent as the new federation takes shape.
The development comes as companies
expand beyond their home markets and competition for specialised skills
intensifies. Businesses across East Africa are being forced to rethink how they
recruit, train and retain employees as technology changes the workplace and
creates demand for new skills.
A coordinated regional approach to
professional standards could widen employers’ access to talent while allowing
skilled professionals to pursue opportunities across borders.
The move also puts Kenya’s HR
regulatory framework at the centre of regional discussions. Kenya has a statutory
framework governing HR professional through the Human Resource Management
Professionals Act, which provides the legal basis for regulating and professionalising
the profession.
Kenya’s experience is likely to
feature as East African countries explore ways to strengthen professional
standards and make labour markets more integrated.
The formation of the East Africa
HR Federation comes as labour mobility gains prominence on the region’s
economic integration agenda. Governments in East and the Horn of Africa are
discussing ways to ease the movement of workers, particularly those with skills
in demand across markets.
Days before the Arusha summit,
Tanzania assumed the chairmanship of the Regional Technical Advisory Committee
on Labour Mobility for East and Horn of Africa countries, taking over from
Uganda.
The process brings together
labour, immigration and foreign affairs officials, alongside private sector and
development partners, to address barriers to cross-border movement.
A professional body focused on HR
standards could add another dimension by bringing employers and workforce
professionals into efforts to integrate regional labour markets.
For businesses, easier labour
mobility could reduce the time and cost of filling specialised positions,
particularly in sectors facing skills shortages. Regional and multinational
companies operating across East Africa currently contend with different
employment regulations, professional requirements and recruitment systems.
Greater harmonisation of
professional standards could make it easier to recognise qualifications and
deploy skilled workers across borders, even as national labour laws remain in
place.
The benefits could also extend to
workers, with recognised qualifications and certifications potentially giving
professionals access to a wider range of jobs and increasing competition for
talent.
However, harmonisation will face
challenges because East African countries have different labour laws,
regulatory systems and professional requirements. Issues around qualifications,
licensing and compliance will require cooperation among governments, regulators
and professional associations.
The federation also reflects the
changing role of HR in business. HR departments are moving beyond payroll,
recruitment and employee records to address artificial intelligence,
automation, remote work, changing workforce demographics and demand for digital
skills.
The Africa Human Resource Summit,
held under the theme Transforming
Africa’s Workforce for the Future, has focused on these pressures
and the need to prepare African businesses and workers for a rapidly changing
global economy.
