Establishing a new Filipino migrant worker assistance office in Nigeria for the support of overseas Filipinos.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is set to open a new office in Abuja, Nigeria, to provide comprehensive support services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in West Africa. This regional hub will also assist OFWs in Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Benin.
The new DMW office aims to deliver services more directly and efficiently, offering legal, medical, financial, and humanitarian assistance tailored to the unique labor conditions and challenges in the region. Prior to the opening of the new office, OFWs in West Africa sought help mainly through the Philippine Embassy in Abuja.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac has emphasised West Africa as a "growing labor market" for Filipinos, highlighting the need for ethical recruitment and protection against common challenges like piracy risks for seafarers and undocumented employment.
The Abuja office will be the second DMW post in Africa, joining the North Africa office, and part of the agency’s expanding network of 42 overseas posts planned worldwide as of 2025. The move is consistent with DMW's broader efforts to bring frontline government services closer to OFWs, as seen in initiatives like Serbisyo Caravan and the planned opening of migrant worker offices in other countries.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and other officials will embark on a weeklong visit to Nigeria and Liberia starting August 9. The visit includes meetings with OFW communities and government counterparts as the DMW prepares to establish a migrant workers' office in Abuja, Nigeria's capital.
Filipinos are employed in various sectors such as information technology, sales, education, factory work, and medical management in West Africa. The visit to Nigeria and Liberia is part of the DMW's preparations for the establishment of the new office.
In addition to the new office in Nigeria, the DMW plans to establish offices in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Turkey. The exact timeline for these openings has not been provided at this time.
The new DMW office in Nigeria will be one of the 42 overseas offices of the DMW, providing a more direct and efficient delivery of services to the thousands of Filipino workers currently employed in Nigeria and the 150 working in Liberia. With this expansion, the DMW continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting and protecting overseas Filipino workers worldwide.
- OFWs in West Africa can expect a more direct and efficient delivery of services, including legal, medical, financial, and humanitarian assistance, due to the forthcoming DMW office in Abuja.
- The DMW Secretary, Hans Leo Cacdac, has highlighted the growing potential of West Africa as a labor market for Filipinos, emphasizing the need for ethical recruitment and protection against challenges like piracy risks for seafarers and undocumented employment.
- Filipinos are currently employed in diverse sectors such as information technology, education, sales, factory work, medical management, and more, in West Africa regions like Nigeria and Liberia.
- In addition to the new office in Nigeria, the DMW plans to establish offices in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Turkey, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to supporting and protecting overseas Filipino workers worldwide.
