The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has said it has commenced the process to evacuating some Ghanaian nationals stranded in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
The Ministry in a statement stated that some 431 Ghanaian Nationals have been under detention in Dubai at the Al Tawadi Medical Centre and the Immigration Centre.
These stranded persons comprise 341 males, 88 females and two children below the ages of three at the medical 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.
“In this circumstance, the Ghana Consulate-General is in touch with the host officials on the matter for the protection of the welfare of our compatriots 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,” the Ministry noted in a statement.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its findings indicated that the starnded Ghanaians were misled by unscrupulous agents who promised unavailable jobs in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.
The statement added that agents were paid significant sums to facilitate the entry of prospective travellers into the UAE.
“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.
The Ministry further cautioned prospective travellers to the Gulf Region to be mindful of the nefarious activities of unscrupulous agents.
It added that the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of National Security have also embarked on taking urgent action to deal with the “activities of unnegotiated Travel Agencies.”
