Accra – As a country of origin, transit and destination, Ghana’s migration dynamics are complex. Prevalent trends in recent years have included a high number of Ghanaian youth irregularly migrating to Europe and the Middle East; incidence of child trafficking in the fishing sector around Lake Volta; and increased attention to policies that aim to harness the benefits of migration for development, including through the engagement of the Ghanaian diaspora.  

On 3 December 2020, the Ministry of the Interior and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) co-hosted a virtual launch of the 2019 Ghana Migration Profile, a comprehensive and user-friendly repository of relevant migration data covering topics including internal migration dynamics; human trafficking; diaspora; remittances; and labour migration, amongst others. This iteration of the Ghana Migration Profile is the first since its inaugural edition, published in 2009. 

“The Ghana Migration Profile is a major reference document for policy makers, academia, and migration stakeholders that will support effective migration management, which is a priority on Ghana’s development agenda,” said Rose Tsorhey, Director, Policy Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ministry of the Interior, on behalf of the Chief Director, Adelaide Anno-Kumi.  

The Ghana Migration Profile was realized thanks to the longstanding commitment of national stakeholders, and in-depth research and consultations spearheaded by an Inter-Ministerial Technical Working Group constituted as part of the Ghana Integrated Migration Management Approach (GIMMA) project, funded by the European Union. It responds to the need of accurate and reliable data for evidence-based policy making, in line with the recommendations and objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and the Ghana National Migration Policy.  

“As the UN Migration Agency, IOM has accompanied and continues to accompany the Government of Ghana in strengthening migration governance for the benefit of all. For evidence-based and strong policies, we need information; we need research; we need data. That is why the Migration Profile is a key document for Ghana and for all practitioners who work in the migration governance ecosystem to maximize and harness the benefits of migration for sustainable development,” said Abibatou Wane-Fall, IOM Ghana Chief of Mission. 

The development of the Ghana Migration Profile was made possibly by the support of the European Union through the GIMMA project, jointly implemented by IOM and GIS, and the support from the European Union and ECOWAS Commission within the framework of the “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa” (FMM West Africa) Project. 

For more information, please contact Mr. Kojo Wilmot, National Officer, IOM Ghana: kwilmot@iom.int