The Work-Abroad Programme is an innovative intervention by YEA to tap into the enormous opportunities in the global labour market to link jobseekers to international jobs, internships and trainings. Through this programme, YEA is positioning itself as a model organization to liaise with Ghana Missions abroad, foreign missions in Ghana and other stakeholders, to receive and process manpower requests by foreign principals and employers, while ensuring safe deployment of skilled and unskilled young Ghanaians to work abroad. The rationale for the development and operationalization of the programme is influenced by the following driving forces:

• Promoting safe, regular and orderly avenues of labour migration as against irregular means.
• Assisting potential migrants make informed positive choices through the provision of information, guidance and support.
• Reducing the effect of poverty and social exclusion among vulnerable youth in Ghana.
• Bringing together governments, stakeholders and civil society to establish work abroad programmes and mechanisms that balance their various interests and address the needs of the youth of Ghana.
• Preserve the dignity and security of the Ghanaian youth while abroad.
• Enabling beneficiary youth obtain exposure and employable skills for future job prospects.
• Guide and offer legal and civic support services to quicken their integration in the host country.
• Contributing to the establishment of a comprehensive database on migration.
• Fostering an effective and seamless reintegration of beneficiaries into Ghana.

The YEA Work-Abroad Programme is designed to address knowledge gaps, facilitate acquisition of skills, expertise and know-how and positive work ethics by youth in Ghana through international exposure. The programme is designed to connect Ghanaian youth to decent jobs, internships and skills development opportunities in destination countries across the globe. The programme is designed to facilitate capacity building interventions and also promote the reintegration of returnees to the Ghanaian society. It is expected that returned migrants will contribute to the growth of the economy with the knowledge, skills, expertise and experience acquired in the country of destination.

The YEA Work-Abroad Standing Committee is established in view of the multi-sectoral approach to the operationalization of the programme. YEA recognizes that labour migration functions fall within the mandates of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). In order to facilitate effective collaboration among the relevant institutions for successful implementation, the Multi-Sectoral Standing Committee is established to ensure seamless management of the processes, whenever the need arises.

The YEA Work-Abroad Standing Committee comprises representative(s) of the following labour migration governance institutions:

• Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration
• Ministry of the Interior • Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection
• Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice
• Labour Department
• Youth Employment Agency
• Ghana Immigration Service
• Ghana Police Service, and

 Any other relevant Ministry, Department or Agency (An institution that has received request from foreign principals e.g. Ministry of Health, may be invited to the Standing Committee to facilitate processing of the request and placement of the migrant workers).

The core business of the Standing Committee is to provide technical advice and facilitate successful operationalization of the programme, particularly at the deployment stage. The committee will ensure that all the processes involved are carried out in an effective and efficient manner.

The YEA Work-Abroad Programme is designed to involve three main stages of operations, namely:

1. Deployment,
2. Employment Contract Monitoring and,
3. Return and Reintegration.

The Deployment stage prepares Ghanaian youth who possess the right mix of qualification, skills and attitudes required by the foreign principal or employer for placement. After successful placement in the destination country, officials from Ghana and Ghana Missions Abroad will conduct periodic and routine monitoring of the conditions of work at the destination organization or workplace to ensure adherence to the terms and conditions of the employment contracts. At the completion or expiry of the employment contract, effective mechanisms will be put in place to absorb the migrant workers back to Ghana. The same courtesies will be extended to those whose employment contracts are truncated before the expiry due to one reason or the other.

1. FREDERICK DODOU – HEAD OF PROGRAMME - fred.dodou@yea.gov.gh
2. SYLVIA BOACHIE DANQUAH – ADMINISTRATOR - sylvia.danquah@yea.gov.gh
3. REGINA WIREKO – PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER - regina.wireko@yea.gov.gh
4. WOENA APOLLINE – CASE MANAGEMENT OFFICER - apolline.attipoe@yea.gov.gh
5. SOUFIYAH MOHAMMED – CAREER OFFICER - soufiyah.mohammed@yea.gov.gh
6. ABIGAIL ODURO-KWARTENG – CAREER OFFICER - abigail.oduro@yea.gov.gh

CONTACTS

E-mail: workabroad@yea.gov.gh

Official Tel:

• 0302-235022
• 0302-235027
• 0542297158
• 0504900971
• 0551492055
• 0554703691