The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) participated as an observer in a sensitisation workshop for private recruitment agencies organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 8 May 2025, in Tema, Ghana, to promote fair recruitment practices – specifically in labour migration – to bring them in line with International Labour Standards (ILS).
Representatives from the Ghana Association of Private Employment Agencies (GHAPEA), recruitment agencies in the Fishing Sector, Ghana Employers Association (GEA), Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA), Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment (MJLE), Labour Department, Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), and ILO attended the workshop to discuss the challenges in regulating and implementing fair recruitment in Ghana for migrant labour – which includes fishers and seafarers.
The workshop was also an occasion to present the ILO’s review of the GHAPEA’s Code of Conduct in comparison to the ILO General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and the Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs (GPOG). GHAPEA (an association comprising over 160 licensed agents) noted the review and shared that it is in the process of revising its 10-year-old Code of Conduct. It expects to share the new version with the ILO, the Labour Department and other stakeholders for their feedback. Mention was made of the Ghana Labour Market Information System (GLMIS) and its capacity to assist the fair recruitment process by providing access to vetted opportunities and agencies.
Participants were also introduced to the legal and policy framework that regulates labour export, the ILO’s Fair Recruitment Toolkit, the draft National Roadmap to Promote Fair Recruitment in Ghana, and a GMA presentation on how it has effectively addressed the challenge of recruiting fishers and seafarers in the industrial fisheries sector. GMA publishes a monthly list of licensed seafarers recruitment and placement service (SRPS) providers/agencies in good standing, and requires all vessel owners or their representatives to recruit using one of them. The SRPSs are required to comply with GMA regulations (an up-to-date register of all seafarers, copies of signed employment agreements with qualified seafarers, etc.) or have their license revoked. Furthermore, GMA requires these SRPSs to file a return with the Authority quarterly, which has brought significant improvements to the working lives of seafarers.
A myriad of challenges were raised and addressed during a panel discussion between the GHAPEA, Labour Department, GITA and ILO reps, including: subagents (regularising/formalising them or limiting their roles) in recruitment, the necessity of recruitment fees being paid by the worker (to cause them to honour their commitment), capitation fees (so government can benefit from the process), bilateral labour agreements between governments (to fish out unlicensed recruitment agents), improvements in the communication and engagement with the Labour Department, procedural bottlenecks in the employment process, and the sustainability of the recruitment agencies (to survive the abolition of recruitment fees).
A key outcome of the workshop is the acknowledgement by participants that addressing recruitment fees paid by the worker will effectively address the potential abuse resulting in debt bondage and forced labour. Another key outcome is a crucial clarification made during the presentation by GHAPEA regarding misconceptions about recruitment from Ghana to the Gulf States. In the past, it was misreported that a ban had been implemented on all recruitment to the Gulf States, whereas the ban only applied to the direct-to-home supply of domestic workers due to issues that emerged concerning their treatment.
The workshop was organised as part of the ILO’s Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment (FAIR III) activities, which aims to promote fair recruitment practices globally and bring them in line with International Labour Standards (ILS). The ILO, through its FAIR III programme, continues to raise awareness of fair recruitment principles among all stakeholders, including constituents, media, civil society, academic, and training institutions.
