Up to 5,000 Ghanaian Workers Could Be Hired for Dubai Building Jobs With Visas and Air Tickets Paid

Ghana's Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, has signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate the recruitment of up to 5,000 Ghanaian workers for construction, building maintenance and facilities management jobs in Dubai. The other party is one UAE-based company, Masa Depan Building Maintenance L.L.C., and recruitment is expected to begin with an initial batch of 500 workers. The company will directly employ the workers and cover specified recruitment-related costs in the UAE, including visa and work permit fees and air tickets from Ghana. For Metaintro readers in the building trades, this guide covers what the deal sets out, what UAE law already guarantees on recruitment costs, how to check a Dubai offer is real, and what has not been published yet.

What Did Ghana's Labour Ministry Sign, and With Whom?

The document is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Masa Depan Building Maintenance L.L.C., represented by its Managing Director, Junhong Deng. The deal was reported on October 12, 2026, and the Ghana side was signed by the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum.

The partner is a United Arab Emirates-based company, not the UAE government. Recruitment and deployment will take place in phases, depending on the company's specific workforce requirements and the procedures outlined in the MoU.

The deal will operate within the applicable labour laws of Ghana and the UAE, as well as existing bilateral cooperation arrangements on labour mobility. Separately, in September Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said Ghana had already signed labour mobility agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar, with negotiations with Saudi Arabia still ongoing.

Which Jobs Are Covered, and How Many Workers Go First?

The workers are expected to be employed in construction, building maintenance and facilities management, and the jobs are in Dubai.

The 5,000 figure is an upper limit, since the MoU is to facilitate the recruitment of up to 5,000 Ghanaian workers. The agreement will initially cover 500 workers, with further recruitment to be undertaken in phases based on the company's labour requirements. Put simply, the initial 500-worker intake will precede the broader target of 5,000 jobs, and later batches depend on what the company needs.

No job titles, skill levels or numbers per trade appear in the Adom Online story, the MyJoyOnline story, the Herald Ghana article or the High Street Journal story. Treat any list of specific trades that claims to come from this deal with care.

What Will the Employer Pay For?

Masa Depan will directly employ the recruited workers and assume responsibility for their wages, accommodation, insurance and other employer obligations.

The company will also cover specified recruitment-related costs in the UAE, which include these items.

• Visa and work permit fees
• Medical examinations and health insurance
• Air tickets from Ghana to the UAE

A UAE work permit costs from AED 250 to AED 3,450 to issue or renew, depending on the company's classification, and the permit to recruit a worker from outside the UAE is valid for two years. Under this deal, the permit fee sits with the employer, not the worker.

The initiative is intended to expand employment opportunities for Ghanaians abroad while ensuring that recruitment is transparent and protects the rights and welfare of workers. (Adom Online)

What Does UAE Law Already Say About Recruitment Fees?

Under the UAE Labour Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, the employer is "prohibited from charging the worker for the fees and costs of recruitment and employment or collecting them from him, whether directly or indirectly" (unofficial English translation). Under the same law, no one may work in the UAE, and no employer may recruit a worker, without a valid work permit issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

Charging recruitment fees to prospective employees is illegal in the UAE, and the confiscation of workers' passports is also prohibited. Workers do not require their employer's permission to leave the country, and the UAE has introduced a domestic law on informed consent, ensuring that workers are aware of the terms of the contract, nature of work, the workplace, the remuneration and the period of daily and weekly rest.

The employer bears the costs of recruitment, travel and the UAE residency permit, under the UAE's 'Know Your Rights' guide for workers from foreign countries. Your employment contract terms must be consistent with the job offer you have signed in your country, so keep a copy of the job offer you have signed.

If the employer does not provide the agreed job, or your salary is not paid in full and on time, contact the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) promptly. Keep your identification documents in a secure place. You are entitled to leave your job at any time, while staying fully aware of your legal obligations. The UAE also enforces a wages protection system to ensure employees are paid in full and on time.

On contracts, the law requires the contract to be made in two copies, with one kept by the employer and the other handed to the worker. If anyone in Ghana asks you for a placement fee to join this intake, that request runs against the deal's aim to prevent abuses involving recruitment fees.

What Will the Ministry Do Before Workers Leave Ghana?

Before departure, the Ministry will coordinate recruitment in Ghana, verify job demands and employment contracts, and facilitate trade testing and skills certification.

The Ministry will also organise pre-departure orientation for successful applicants on UAE labour laws, workplace safety and workers' rights.

The arrangement is meant to reduce irregular recruitment, prevent abuses involving recruitment fees and promote safe and orderly labour migration, and the Ministry wants recruitment that is "transparent, orderly and protective of workers' rights and welfare."

The deal is expected to support skills transfer and help returning workers reintegrate into Ghana's labour market.

What Protections Do Workers Get Once in Dubai?

The agreement provides for these safeguards for workers on the job.

• Occupational safety training
• Protective equipment
• A worker welfare officer
• A grievance mechanism for raising concerns

These measures are intended to provide workers with channels to report workplace grievances without facing financial barriers or reprisals.

A Joint Working Committee will also be established to monitor recruitment procedures, employment conditions, workers' welfare and the implementation of the agreement. Committee members and a meeting schedule have not been published in the Adom Online story.

The UAE labour ministry runs online services to register labour complaints for private sector employees, a salary complaint service and a collective complaint service. Its Labour Claims and Advisory Call Centre takes calls on the toll-free number 80084, and workers are exempt from paying litigation fees for claims less than AED 100,000.

You are expected to sign your employment contract after arriving in the UAE. ('Know Your Rights' guide, UAE government)

How Can You Check a Dubai Job Offer Is Real?

Check every Dubai offer yourself before you travel, using the UAE government's tips to avoid labour and visa fraud.

• If you are offered a job in the UAE, you must get an offer letter issued by the UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), signed by the authorised manager.
• You can verify the validity of the job offer using its reference number through the MOHRE enquiry service.
• You can search the company's English and Arabic name in the National Economic Register to make sure it legally exists.
• A visa or entry permit issued in Dubai can be checked on the website of GDRFA.
• After you sign the offer letter, the employer will send you an electronic entry permit for employment so you can enter the country.
• A visit or tourist entry permit does not give you the right to work in the UAE, and working on one brings fines and legal liability.

Recruitment expenses are the employer's responsibility under the UAE's Labour Law. A residency visa cannot be processed for applicants outside the UAE, so the worker first enters on a valid entry permit and stays until the residency visa is issued. For questions on employment contracts and recruitment in the UAE, workers can contact MoHRE by phone on 009716-802-7666, by email at ask@mohre.gov.ae or through its live chat service.

What Has Not Been Published Yet?

No wage figure, contract length, application portal or start date appears in the Adom Online story, the MyJoyOnline story, the Herald Ghana article or the High Street Journal story.

No salary has been published for this intake, and the deal aims to prevent abuses involving recruitment fees, so treat a quoted salary or a paid 'first batch' place as unverified. The deal makes the employer responsible for wages, accommodation, insurance and other employer obligations, and the Ministry will verify employment demands and contracts.

When contracts do appear, check that their terms are consistent with the job offer you have signed in your country, as the UAE's 'Know Your Rights' guide requires.

How Does This Fit Ghana's Wider Push on Safe Recruitment?

In September, the government was moving to publish a comprehensive list of certified recruitment agencies, which officials say will help Ghanaians verify overseas job offers.

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa advised job seekers to check if the recruiting agency is known to government. He also urged Ghanaians weighing offers abroad to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the country's diplomatic missions for verification and travel guidance. Ablakwa said the list will also be shared with Ghana's international partners, so that destination countries receiving groups of Ghanaian workers can check any recruiting agency against it and decline to engage with those not on it. Ablakwa added that Ghanaian missions abroad are equipped to conduct due diligence on organisations and opportunities in their host countries, and that his ministry is working with the Ministry of the Interior on a new framework for scrutinizing Ghanaians leaving the country, especially those travelling abroad in groups. A public education campaign with the National Commission for Civic Education, the Information Services Department and civil society organisations will target young people.

The push comes amid continuing government warnings about fraudulent recruitment schemes. In July, Ablakwa cautioned that criminal networks continue to exploit young people through deceptive advertisements promising overseas employment. Legitimate employers typically do not ask for bank details during hiring. In May, Ghana's Ministry of Health also cautioned health professionals against dealing with fraudsters during its own recruitment exercise.

The MoU forms part of the Ministry's efforts to connect Ghanaians to job opportunities beyond the country while strengthening protections against exploitation and unfair recruitment practices.

What This Means for Ghanaian Tradespeople, and What Should You Do Next?

For construction and maintenance workers, the employer pays visa and work permit fees, medical examinations, health insurance and air tickets from Ghana to the UAE, and UAE law already bars employers from charging the worker for the fees and costs of recruitment. Recruitment is expected to begin with an initial batch of 500 workers.

• Watch the Ministry, not social media. Recruitment will be coordinated by the Ministry in Ghana, so rely on the Ministry's own announcements rather than social media posts.
• Prepare for a trade test. The Ministry will facilitate trade testing and skills certification for prospective workers.
• Never pay a fee. Paying for a place goes against measures expected to help curb the charging of abusive recruitment fees.
• Check the offer letter. Use the MOHRE reference number check before you travel, and keep a copy of the job offer you have signed.
• Ask about pay in writing. No wage figure has been published for this deal, so ask for the figure and the contract length in writing before you accept.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many Ghanaian workers will go to Dubai under the deal?

A: The MoU covers up to 5,000 Ghanaians for jobs in Dubai, starting with an initial batch of 500 workers, and later batches depend on the company's needs.

Q: Do workers pay for the visa and the flight to Dubai?

A: No. The company covers visa and work permit fees, medical tests, health insurance and air tickets from Ghana to the UAE, and UAE law bars employers from charging the worker for the fees and costs of recruitment and employment.

Q: How much will the Dubai jobs pay?

A: Pay has not been published. The employer is responsible for wages, accommodation, insurance and other employer obligations, but no wage figure or contract length has been released.

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