Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

We can’t help you find a job, but we can point you in the right direction on where you can find information about opportunities in the communities of:

• In Cote d’Ivoire: Abidjan, Sud-Comoé Region, Daloa (see : Opportunités locales ivoiriennes • WAKA Well).
• The Gambia: Brikama, Kafining, West Coast Region, Lower River Region, Central River Region, North Bank Region, Upper River Region (see: Find local opportunities in the Gambia • WAKA Well).
• In Ghana: Bono and Bono East Region (see: Local opportunity • WAKA Well)
• In Guinea: Matoto (see: Opportunités locales en Guinée • WAKA Well).
• In Liberia : Montserrado County,  (see: liberia-local-opportunities • WAKA Well).

• In Nigeria: (see: info/en/local-opportunities/).
• In Senegal: Dakar, Kolda, Thies, Tamba (see: Opportunité-locales-au-Sénégal • WAKA Well).

In Sierra Leone: Western Area Urban District, Bombali: (see: Sierra-Leone-local-opportunities • WAKA Well).

WAKAwell.info is optimized for learning, storytelling, and social sharing – it provides information to young aspirant migrants in Africa that will help them make informed decisions for their future, at home and abroad. The website features:

• Videos created by communities in Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Nigeria;
• Stories about how people define a life of success, different people’s journeys as entrepreneurs, and features on specific sectors;
• Safe migration information for citizens of Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone; including how to get a passport, how to apply for a visa for a range of countries, lists of required documents, embassy contact details and more;
• Opportunities for those living in Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone in education, employment, and entrepreneurship;

Details on how to talk to someone in-person in Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone about safe migration, MHPSS, etc..

WAKA Well by IOM X is the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) innovative campaign in Africa that seeks to prevent exploitation by empowering young people to make informed decisions about their future, both at home and abroad.

IOM X started as a four-year project out of the IOM Regional Office for Asia Pacific in October 2014. Several IOM offices globally have adopted the campaign model, with activities starting at IOM X Belarus in 2015, IOM X Central America (Somos Colmena) in 2018, and IOM X West Africa (WAKA Well) in 2019. Since 2022, we have expanded to include other countries (Egypt and Ethiopia) on the African continent on the WAKA Well digital platform. For more information about global IOM Xefforts, visit: https://IOMX.iom.int/

You can learn more about WAKA Well activities in your country by going to the home page and clicking ‘learn more’ at the bottom of the page, where you will find the project documentation, including surveys in the community etc. If you want to learn more about the WAKA Well campaign, IOM project or C4D approach, you can check out our online library of documents here.

Communication for Development (or C4D) is one of the more popular frameworks under the strategic communication umbrella. It is a people-centered process that uses communication tools and activities to support and help create social and behaviour change in a meaningful and sustained way.

Ultimately, C4D aims at influencing the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of key audiences around a topic in order to create positive change. The process can be helpful if you are working to create positive change in a community. To follow IOM X’s step-by-step process to create your own C4D campaign, visit: https://IOMX.iom.int/

No, we can’t help you apply for a visa, but we can direct you to accurate information for on how to apply for relevant visas, what are the required documents, and contact details for embassies and consulates. This information can be accessed here:

• If you are Ivorian: WAKAWell.info/cote-divoire
• If you are Gambian: WAKAWell.info/gambia
• If you are Ghanaian: WAKAWell.info/ghana
• If you are Guinean: WAKAWell.nfo/Guinee
• If you are Liberian: WAKAWell.nfo/Liberia
• If you are Nigerian: WAKAWell.nfo/Nigeria
• If you are Senegalese: WAKAWell.nfo/Senegal

If you are Sierra Leonean: WAKAwell.info/Sierra-Leone

If you are Ivorian, on WAKAwell.info/cote-divoire, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries:  Algeria, Austria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Canada, France, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, The Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Togo, the UAE, the UK and the US.

If you are Gambian, on WAKAwell.info/gambia, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Togo, the UAE, the UK and the US.

If you are Ghanaian, on WAKAwell.info/ghana, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries: Algeria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa and Spain.

If you are Guinean, on WAKAwell.info/Guinee, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries: Canada, China, Germany, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, India, Italy, Liberia, Morocco, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Russia, Senegal, Spain, United Arab Emirates and USA.

If you are Liberian, on WAKAwell.info/Liberia, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries:  Algeria, Austria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, China, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Togo and the UAE.

If you are Nigerian, on WAKAwell.info/Nigeria, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries:  Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, Switzerland, The Gambia and Togo.

If you are Senegalese, on WAKAwell.info/Senegal, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries:  Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, Switzerland, The Gambia and Togo.

If you are Sierra Leonean, on WAKAwell.info/Sierra-Leone, you can find information on how to go abroad to the following countries:  Austria, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Malaysia, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, The Gambia and Togo.

If you are from one of the countries listed on WAKAWell.info but you don’t live in one of the regions where there are local opportunities listed (e.g. Oredo or Ikpoba Okha in Nigeria), there is still information that is relevant to all citizens of your country. Check out the ‘I want to travel’ section for information about how you can go abroad (including in the ECOWAS region, Europe, Asia and North America). On country pages, you will also find videos and learning resources such as facts about the migration context in your country and more information about WAKA Well activities.

WAKA Well by IOM X is the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) innovative campaign in West Africa that seeks to prevent exploitation by empowering young people to make informed decisions about their future, both at home and abroad. 

IOM X started as a four-year project out of the IOM Regional Office for Asia Pacific in October 2014. Several IOM offices globally have adopted the campaign model, with activities starting at IOM X Belarus in 2015, IOM X Central America (Somos Colmena) in 2018 and IOM X West Africa (WAKA Well) in 2019 which expanded to other African countries in 2022. For more information about global IOM X efforts, visit: https://IOMX.iom.int/

Waka is a pidgin word that means walk, travel, moving around on your own two feet. The WAKA Well by IOM X campaign seeks to encourage young people to make informed decisions for their future – to ‘walk’ or ‘waka’ the path that will lead to a better future, whether it be at home or abroad