Verify travel offers before payment, Foreign Affairs Ministry warns after rescue of 28 Ghanaians from traffickers in Côte d’Ivoire
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cautioned Ghanaians against dealing with unlicensed travel and recruitment agents after 28 citizens were rescued from a human trafficking network in Côte d’Ivoire and repatriated home last Saturday.
The victims, mostly young people, were rescued through a joint operation involving officers of the Ghana Police Service Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, officials of the Ghana Embassy in Abidjan and Ivorian security authorities.
They have since returned to Ghana safely and are assisting with investigations.
In a statement issued on Sunday, May 11 2026, the ministry urged the public to verify all overseas travel and job offers before making payments or commitments.
It warned against engaging individuals and agencies promising jobs and travel opportunities abroad without proper authorisation.
“The public should be conscious of the dangers associated with engaging unlicensed recruitment agencies which promise travel and job opportunities,” the statement said.
The ministry advised prospective travellers to confirm the legitimacy of such offers with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment Relations or Ghana’s diplomatic missions abroad.
Trafficking network
The latest rescue followed a wider anti-human trafficking operation in Côte d’Ivoire led by the Ghana Police Service Anti-Human Trafficking Unit under Superintendent William Ayariga, with support from a private tracking expert.
Investigators uncovered what they described as an extensive trafficking network which allegedly lured victims with promises of jobs and migration opportunities to countries such as France and Canada.
Victims were reportedly transported through countries including Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal and Liberia before being confined in camps in Côte d’Ivoire, where their movement was restricted and personal documents seized.
One of the identified locations was Bondoukou, where investigators believe about 2,500 victims are being held.
A joint operation involving Ivorian security forces reportedly entered one camp in Bondoukou and found between 400 and 450 victims in a single facility.
Those found included pregnant women, nursing mothers and children as young as two months old. Victims ranged in age from 16 to 60 years.
Other suspected trafficking locations identified by investigators include Aniabrekrom, Ambegro, Songor and Noé.
Arrests
Two suspects, identified as Deborah and Suzzy, were arrested and handed over to Ivorian authorities for further investigations.
Investigators believe Deborah operated several camps across Côte d’Ivoire, while Suzzy, said to be from Sefwi Wiaso in the Western North Region, allegedly used multiple identities to recruit victims.
Previous cases
The latest case has heightened concerns over trafficking syndicates targeting Ghanaians with fake overseas job opportunities.
In April last year, INTERPOL, working with Ghanaian and Ivorian authorities, dismantled another trafficking network operating from Abidjan.
Victims in that case were recruited through fake online job advertisements and asked to pay up to 9,000 dollars after being contacted by recruiters using Canadian phone numbers and identities.
Instead of travelling to Canada, the victims were trafficked to Abidjan, where they were held against their will and forced to recruit others through online multi-level marketing schemes.
Human rights organisation Challenging Heights said it had rescued 82 victims of trafficking and forced labour since the beginning of this year in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service.
According to the organisation, 57 children were rescued from forced labour in the fishing sector, while 25 Nigerian nationals were freed from forced prostitution and repatriated.
The organisation has called on the Ministry of Finance to allocate at least GH¢20 million to the Human Trafficking Fund and review the Human Trafficking Act, 2005.
The Walk Free Foundation estimates that more than 91,000 people in Ghana are living under conditions of modern slavery, including about 21,000 children engaged in forced labour on Lake Volta.
The United States Department of State, in its 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report, placed Ghana on Tier 2, indicating that although the country was making significant efforts, it did not fully meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.
The report cited continued exploitation of Ghanaians by fraudulent labour recruiters abroad and noted that no such recruiters were prosecuted during the reporting period.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said efforts were ongoing to dismantle trafficking networks and prosecute those behind them.
Under Ghana’s Human Trafficking Act, 2005, persons convicted of trafficking offences face prison terms ranging from five to 25 years.
