Accra – On 18 November 2021, migration stakeholders in Ghana agreed to improve coordination of their respective migration-related interventions. The gathering was the Bi-Annual Meeting of the Migration Coordination Platform (MCP), which was initiated by international development partners (DPs) and multilateral agencies in Ghana. The meeting facilitated a comprehensive exchange with the Government of Ghana (GoG) about its migration priorities and commitments about collaboration moving forward.

“This gathering signifies our collective efforts towards the effective coordination and management of migration and its related issues in Ghana,” said Hon. Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior (MINTER), in a speech delivered by Solomon Tetteh Mensah, Director of Research at MINTER. He applauded the DPs for their commitment towards mainstreaming migration into national development and ensured that the Ministry will continue to work with its partners to build on the strong foundation that has already been established. He stressed that “migration governance has become a key accelerator of sustainable development and the achievement of Agenda 2030.”

The Minister also stated that the National Migration Policy, the Labour Migration Policy, the draft Diaspora Policy and the set-up of the Migration Unit under the Ministry of the Interior were developed thanks to the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders. Exemplary, the Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Hon. Bright Wireko-Brobbey, highlighted the opportunities and challenges in the implementation of the Labour Migration Policy. He emphasized the potentials of regular labour migration, and called for an increase in opportunities to engage in such a development-oriented way.

Instrumental in the setting up of the platform over the recent years were the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Delegation of the European Union to Ghana, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Ghana, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

“Migration is a challenge and an opportunity; when correctly managed, migration provides huge chances for development. Here again, as for any other global challenge, we get better results by building or strengthening partnerships, and this Migration Coordination Platform is just about that,” said Anna Lixi, Head of Governance section at the Delegation of the European Union to Ghana, in a speech delivered by Emmanuel Soubiran, Programme Officer at the EU Delegation.

The platform and the current two sub-groups – one focusing on border management and on return and reintegration – are chaired by IOM and co-chaired by ICMPD and GIZ respectively.

“As set out in the Sustainable Development Goals and Global Compact for Migration, it is only when the international community works together that orderly, safe and regular migration can be achieved,” said Abibatou Wane-Fall, Chief of Mission at IOM Ghana.

Since the MCP’s first meeting earlier this year, it has developed a directory for migration stakeholders and mapped migration projects in the country. Following this, the second Bi-Annual meeting was organized to: 1) gather international DPs and multilateral agencies of the Sub-Committees to reflect on progress made to date; 2) provide an overview of the MCP to the GoG, including its history, purpose, composition, governance and frequency of meetings; 3) receive an overview of GoG priorities in the area of migration; and 4) discuss collaboration moving forward, including the financing of migration actions, human resources and operational matters, to improve the effectiveness of migration programming implementation in Ghana.

The meeting was jointly organized between IOM, GIZ, ICMPD and the Delegation of the European Union. About 45 international DPs, multilateral agencies and GoG Ministries, Departments and Agencies attended in person and online, including the Ministry of the Interior; National Development Planning Commission (NDPC); Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations; Diaspora Affairs Office, Office of the President; Youth Employment Agency; Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP); Ministry of Health (Port Health); and Ghana Police Service, among others.

***

For more information, contact Nnamdi Iwuora, Project Manager at IOM Ghana, at niwuora@iom.int, +233 30 274 2930 ext. 2401