(La Nouvelle République)-Access to employment, skills development and economic opportunities is becoming a new area of cooperation between Africa’s private sector and humanitarian actors. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Compagnie Aérienne ASKY, the Pan-African airline based in Lomé, announced on 5 October 2026 a three-year partnership aimed at expanding refugees’ access to training, internships, employment and selected business opportunities across West and Central Africa. ASKY – Communique de presse UNH…
The first phase will cover Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. It will focus on technical and vocational training, scholarships, internships and pathways into employment in the aviation sector. The partnership could later be extended to refugee entrepreneurship, access to supply chains and agricultural value chains. Particular attention will be given to refugee women and girls, who often face additional barriers to education, training and decent work. ASKY – Communique de presse UNH…
Lomé could become a training hub
Under the agreement, ASKY will consider qualified refugees for its existing training programmes, internship schemes and recruitment processes, subject to available opportunities and standard requirements. The airline will also explore ways for refugee-owned businesses to access its supply chain. ASKY – Communique de presse UNH…
Lomé could play a central role, with discussions focusing on the possibility of using the Togolese capital as a training hub. The initiative will also look at expanding employment and livelihood opportunities in Ghana, connecting refugee-owned businesses to markets in Senegal, and facilitating family reunification and voluntary return movements, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire. ASKY – Communique de presse UNH…
For UNHCR Regional Director Abdouraouf Gnon Konde, access to skills, markets and decent work is essential to helping displaced people regain “choice and dignity.” ASKY – Communique de presse UNH…
According to the joint statement, this is UNHCR’s first partnership with a regional airline in West and Central Africa, and the first initiative of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
Elsa Kwame