The Government of Ghana is collaborating with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to evacuate 431 stranded Ghanaians misled by unscrupulous agents who promised them jobs in Dubai and the UAE.

A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration dated August 18, 2022, noted "The Ministry's attention has been drawn to the detention of some Ghanaian nationals in Dubai at the Al Tawadi Medical Centre and the Immigration Centre.

"In the wake of the above development, officers from our Consulate-General in Dubai visited our stranded compatriots at the detention centre and extended proximity consular assistance to them.

"From our investigations, it can be confirmed that most of our stranded compatriots were misled by unscrupulous agents who promised unavailable jobs in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates; the agents were paid significant sums to facilitate the entry of the prospective travellers into the UAE. They only discovered that the jobs they were promised were non-existent. This, development of non-availability of job opportunities in Dubai has often placed our compatriots in a precarious condition, making them vulnerable and easy targets for arrest and detention by the law enforcement agencies in the UAE," it added.

According to the press release, the Ghana Consulate-General has been in touch with UAE officials on the matter of the protection of the welfare of its nationals at the detention centres.

"Even though our stranded compatriots went to the UAE on their own volition, the Government of Ghana is making necessary efforts, in collaboration with the UAE authorities, to effect the evacuation of our stranded nationals back to Ghana," it added.

The Ministry cautioned prospective travellers to the Gulf Region to be mindful of the despicable activities of unscrupulous agents.