Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Masa Depan Building Maintenance LLC to facilitate the phased recruitment of up to 5,000 Ghanaian workers for construction, building maintenance and facilities management projects in Dubai.
The agreement, signed by the Minister responsible for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, will begin with an initial batch of 500 workers.
The initiative is aimed at expanding access to international employment opportunities while ensuring transparent recruitment, orderly migration and protection of workers’ rights and welfare.
Under the agreement, the Ministry will coordinate recruitment in Ghana, verify employment demands and contracts, facilitate trade testing and skills certification, and organise pre-departure orientation on UAE labour laws, workplace safety and workers’ rights.
The arrangement is also intended to curb irregular recruitment practices, prevent recruitment-fee abuses and promote the safe and orderly migration of Ghanaian workers.
Masa Depan Building Maintenance LLC, represented by its Managing Director, Junhong Deng, will directly employ the recruited workers and assume responsibility for their wages, accommodation, insurance and other employer obligations.
The company will also bear specified recruitment-related costs in the UAE, including visa and work permit fees, medical tests, health insurance and air tickets from Ghana to the UAE.
To safeguard workers’ welfare, the agreement provides for occupational safety training, the provision of protective equipment, the appointment of a worker welfare officer and a grievance mechanism through which workers can raise concerns without charge or retaliation.
A Joint Working Committee will also be established to monitor recruitment processes, employment conditions, workers’ welfare and the implementation of the agreement.
The cooperation further provides a framework for skills transfer and the reintegration of returning workers into Ghana’s labour market.
The recruitment and deployment process will take place in phases, based on the company’s specific workforce requirements and the procedures set out in the agreement.
The arrangement will operate within the applicable labour laws of Ghana and the UAE, as well as the existing framework for bilateral cooperation on labour mobility.
