The Ghana Embassy in Saudi Arabia has warned Ghanaians to desist from travelling to the Arabian kingdom to work as unskilled labour.

There have been reports of abuse and maltreatment of Ghanaians who usually take up jobs in the oil-rich states in the Gulf.

Some Ghanaian agents mislead people and promise them mouth-watering salaries and incentives to take them to these countries where they end up in slave labour.

A statement from the Embassy said: “The Ghana Embassy is currently overwhelmed with cases of Ghanaian domestic workers (housemaids) who have fallen victim to such unfortunate pranks and misrepresentations of these agents. And it is against this background that the Embassy in the strongest possible terms warns the youth of Ghana to desist from making any plans of travelling to the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] states to work as unskilled workers.

We urge the young people of Ghana to seek information from the Embassy about any shoddy contracts even before embarking on their travel to these countries.”

The Embassy also warned all Ghanaians staying in Saudi Arabia illegally to take advantage of an amnesty offered by the Arabian Kingdom to return home or be left to their fate after the 90-day window closes.

The kingdom announced the amnesty in March 2017. The window will be closed on 25 June 2017.

“Since the beginning of the General Amnesty two months ago, the Ghana Embassy in Riyadh and the Ghana Consulate in Jeddah have processed more than five hundred emergency travel documents (travellers certificates) for Ghanaians who have violated their residency and work permits, enabling them to take advantage of the General Amnesty to leave the kingdom,” it added.

It added: “Any Ghanaian illegal resident who fails to take advantage of this General Amnesty programme should be ready to face any penalty or consequences thereof as a result of their actions or inactions.

“Both the Embassy and the Consulate should not be blamed for any unforeseen occurrences after the expiration of the General Amnesty programme given that the Mission does not have any more resources to troubleshoot self-inflicted consular problems.”