ASKY, UNHCR Forge Partnership to Create Jobs, Business Opportunities for Refugees By Raymond Enoch
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Compagnie Aérienne ASKY, the Pan-African airline based in Lomé, Togo, have entered into a three-year partnership aimed at expanding refugees’ access to skills development, employment and business opportunities across West and Central Africa.
The partnership, announced in Lomé on Monday, will initially cover Senegal, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, combining ASKY’s aviation expertise and regional network with UNHCR’s mandate to promote protection and durable solutions for displaced populations.
Under the initiative, the first phase will focus on technical and vocational training, scholarships, internships and employment pathways in the aviation sector, with opportunities for expansion into refugee entrepreneurship, supply-chain access and agricultural value chains.
The partnership is particularly significant against the backdrop of the growing displacement crisis in West and Central Africa, where more than four million refugees and asylum-seekers were being hosted as of September 2026.
UNHCR said women and children account for about 80 per cent of the displaced population, while nearly 751,000 people have identified specific protection needs, including women and children at risk and persons with disabilities.
The initiative will therefore place particular emphasis on women and girls, who often face additional barriers to education, vocational training and access to decent work.
UNHCR Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Abdouraouf Gnon Konde, said access to skills, markets and decent employment was essential to restoring choice and dignity when displacement persists for years.
“Our ambition is to help half of refugees in protracted situations across the region move from long-term aid dependency towards self-reliance and lasting solutions by 2035,” Konde said.
He said partnerships with African businesses such as ASKY could transform the ambition into practical opportunities, particularly for women and young people, while also strengthening host communities and local economies.
Under the agreement, ASKY will consider qualified refugees for its existing training programmes, internships and recruitment processes, subject to available opportunities and standard requirements.
The airline will also assess mechanisms through which refugee-owned businesses can gain access to its supply chain.
Drawing on ASKY’s regional network and the potential use of Lomé as a training hub, the initiative is expected to connect refugees living both within and outside traditional assistance settings to opportunities across labour markets.
Particular attention will be given to refugee women and girls through aviation-related education, mentorship and professional development, as well as supplier opportunities for refugee-led artisan enterprises.
Chief Executive Officer of ASKY, Esayas W. Hailu, said the partnership reflected the airline’s commitment to Africa’s development.
“As a pan-African airline, we see a direct link between our business and Africa’s development. Refugees are part of the communities we serve,” Hailu said.
He said the partnership would seek to connect refugee talent and enterprise with opportunities in aviation while encouraging other African companies to incorporate refugee inclusion into their business operations.
Following the signing, UNHCR and ASKY are expected to work out detailed arrangements covering training, scholarships, internships, employment and, where appropriate, humanitarian transport.
Initial discussions will examine Lomé’s potential as a training hub, expand livelihood and employment opportunities in Ghana, connect refugee-owned businesses to markets in Senegal and facilitate family reunification and voluntary return movements, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire.
The collaboration is also expected to create a link between refugee skills and enterprises and private-sector demand, helping displaced people build self-reliance while enabling businesses to access new talent, goods and services.
UNHCR described the agreement as a potential model for African-led private-sector engagement in refugee inclusion and sustainable development.
The partnership is also notable as UNHCR’s first collaboration with a regional airline in West and Central Africa and the first initiative of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
ASKY currently operates across 30 cities in 28 African countries with a fleet of 17 aircraft. Its shareholders include regional financial institutions and aviation partners, including the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, West African Development Bank, Ecobank Group, Ethiopian Airlines and the Government of Togo.
The partnership reinforces the growing role of the African private sector in addressing displacement through economic inclusion, skills development and access to sustainable livelihoods rather than relying solely on humanitarian assistance.
