The Governing Council was established as ARLAC’s supreme authority with full powers to provide oversight, strategic and policy direction in the pursuit of all ARLAC’s objectives. It consists of Ministers of Labour/Employment/Manpower issues in the member countries as well as Ministers responsible for labour matters in member countries. A representative of the Director General of the International Labour Office (ILO) is an ex-officio member of the Governing Council.
According to the new Constitution of ARLAC, the Chairperson of the Governing Council presides over its meetings. The Chairperson, First, Second, Third and Fourth Vice Chairpersons of the Governing Council are elected from among the member countries. Their term of office is for two (2) years from the date of election. The host country of the Headquarters of the Centre shall hold one of the four Vice Chairpersonship positions except where it has been elected to be the Chairperson.
Hon. July G. Moyo, ARLAC Chairperson and Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Zimbabwe
The illustration below identifies the roles of the ARLAC Governing Council.
The Committee of Senior Officials was created to exercise oversight over the Executive Management Committee in respect of governance, policy implementation and programming. It consists of:
The representative of the Member Country hosting the annual meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials automatically assumes chairpersonship of the Committee. The term for the Chairperson of the Committee of Senior officials is one (1) year.
The Executive Management Committee was established to exercise all the powers related to governance, policy implementation and programming.
The composition of the Executive Management Committee is portrayed in the chart below:
The roles of the Executive Management Committee are presented in the chart below.
In executing its mandate, the Executive Management Committee has a leeway to appoint a working party of officials drawn from its members to examine any matter in detail. The term for the Executive Management Committee and the Chairperson is two (2) years. This Committee meets at least once every quarter of the calendar year.
The member countries in the Executive Management Committee for 2023 – 2025 are Ethiopia (North Zone), Namibia (South Zone), Sierra Leone (West Zone), Zambia (East Zone) and Zimbabwe (Office of the Chairperson).
The secretariat is the permanent administrative unit at ARLAC. It is headed by the Executive Director who is also is the Secretary of the Governing Council, Committee of Senior Officials and the Executive Management Committee.
The role of the Secretariat are presented in the figure below.
The diagram below depicts the organogram of the Secretariat:
