UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Compagnie Aérienne ASKY, a pan-African airline based in Lomé, have announced a three-year partnership to expand refugees’ access to skills development, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in West and Central Africa.
Initially covering Senegal, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, the agreement combines ASKY’s aviation expertise and regional network with UNHCR’s protection and solutions mandate. The first phase will focus on technical and vocational training, scholarships, internships and employment pathways in the aviation sector, with potential expansion into refugee entrepreneurship, supply chain access and agricultural value chains.
As of September 2026, West and Central Africa hosted more than 4 million refugees and asylum-seekers, 80% of them women and children, while nearly 751,000 people had identified specific protection needs, including women and children at risk and persons with disabilities. The initiative will give particular attention to women and girls, who often face additional barriers to education, training and decent work.
“When displacement lasts for years, access to skills, markets and decent work is essential to restoring choice and dignity,” said Abdouraouf Gnon Konde, UNHCR Regional Director for West and Central Africa. “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. Partnerships with African businesses such as ASKY can turn that ambition into practical opportunities, especially for women and young people, while strengthening the communities and economies that host them.”
Through the partnership, ASKY will consider qualified refugees for its existing training programmes, internships and recruitment processes, subject to available opportunities and standard requirements, and will assess ways for refugee-owned enterprises to access its supply chain.
Drawing on ASKY’s regional presence and the potential use of Lomé as a training hub, the initiative will reach refugees living both within and outside traditional assistance settings and connect them with opportunities across labour markets, with particular emphasis on refugee women and girls through aviation-related education, mentorship and professional development, and supplier opportunities for refugee-led artisan enterprises.
“As a pan-African airline, we see a direct link between our business and Africa’s development,” said Esayas W. Hailu, Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie Aérienne ASKY. “Refugees are part of the communities we serve. Through this partnership, we want to connect their talent and enterprise with opportunities in aviation and encourage other African companies to integrate refugee inclusion into the way they do business.”
Following the signing, UNHCR and ASKY will agree on arrangements for training, scholarships, internships, employment and, where appropriate, humanitarian transport. Initial discussions will consider Lomé as a training hub, expanding livelihoods and employment options in Ghana, linking refugee-owned businesses to markets in Senegal and facilitating family reunification and voluntary return movements, particularly in Côte d’Ivoire.
By connecting refugee skills and enterprises with private-sector demand, the initiative seeks to support self-reliance while helping businesses access talent, goods and services. UNHCR and ASKY intend the collaboration to provide a practical model for African-led private-sector engagement in refugee inclusion and sustainable development. The agreement marks UNHCR’s first partnership with a regional airline in West and Central Africa and the first initiative of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
