By Hannah Dadzie
The government is working to publish a comprehensive list of certified recruitment agencies as part of measures to protect Ghanaians from fraudulent overseas employment schemes and human trafficking networks.
Addressing the media in Accra, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the initiative, being undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, would enable prospective migrants to verify whether recruitment agencies offering jobs abroad were licensed and credible.
He said the list would also be shared with Ghana’s international partners to make it easier to identify unlicensed recruitment agencies operating across borders.
“If you are being recruited, please check if the recruiting agency is known to government,” Mr Ablakwa advised.
He explained that foreign governments receiving Ghanaian workers would also be informed about agencies certified by Ghanaian authorities.
“If your government is receiving a group of Ghanaians and the recruiting agency is not certified, is not part of the official list we provided, then you know that you are not to entertain these recruitment agencies which are not licensed, which are not certified and which are not credible,” he said.
The Minister said the move formed part of broader efforts to address unsafe migration, particularly cases involving young Ghanaians who are lured abroad with promises of employment but end up facing exploitation and deplorable working conditions.
He disclosed that the Ministry had intensified negotiations with countries in the Gulf region to establish labour mobility agreements that would regulate the recruitment and protection of Ghanaian workers.
Ghana, he said, had recently signed labour mobility agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar, while negotiations with Saudi Arabia were ongoing.
Mr Ablakwa further disclosed that the Ministry was working with the Ministry of the Interior to develop a framework for greater scrutiny of persons leaving Ghana, particularly those travelling in groups.
“It should not just be taken for granted that once you have a visa, you should be processed and allowed to leave the jurisdiction,” he said.
He encouraged Ghanaians considering travel opportunities abroad to contact the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs or Ghana’s diplomatic missions for verification and travel advice.
According to him, Ghanaian missions abroad have the capacity to conduct due diligence on organisations and opportunities in their respective jurisdictions.
Mr Ablakwa also urged the public to take travel advisories seriously and said the Ministry would collaborate with the National Commission for Civic Education, Information Services Department and civil society organisations to intensify public education.
The awareness campaign, he explained, would focus particularly on educating young people about the methods used by human trafficking and fraudulent recruitment networks.
