Accra – The Ministry of Interior of Ghana, in collaboration with IOM, the UN Migration Agency, held a one-day national multi-stakeholder consultation forum on 15 September to support Ghana’s contribution to the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

The national consultation, which is part of the broader consultations on the development of the GCM, provided an opportunity for key stakeholders including, government ministries, departments, agencies, private sector actors, civil society organizations, academia and media to share their specific experience and identify ways forward on the issue of safe, orderly and regular migration.

Priority areas and recommendations included improved coordination, improved education and employment opportunities, capacity building of relevant stakeholders, awareness raising campaigns, harnessing the development potential of diaspora through facilitating remittance sending and investment options in Ghana, greater collaboration with the private sector and more regular channels of migrating for education and employment.

The Deputy Minister for Interior, Henry Quartey, stressed the need to produce recommendations: “In your deliberations, I want you to be guided by the challenges that confronts this nation as a result of the complex migration dynamics in the country. The recommendations from this meeting must be a true reflection of the national priorities and the reality when it comes to the management of migration.”

Sylvia Ekra-Lopez, Chief of Mission for IOM Ghana, said, “The national consultations on the GCM offer an opportunity to strengthen the contribution of migrants to development. It is important that consultation, which goes beyond a whole of government approach to a whole of community approach, impacts the life of the young Ghanaian men and women, who take the decision to undertake unsafe, disorderly and irregular migration. It is for this voiceless group that we are holding the meeting today.”

Yahya Danjuma of the Sahara Hustlers Association, a group formed by a returnee as a way to sensitize migrants on the dangers of irregular migration and trafficking, explained during a panel discussion on the drivers of irregular migration: “We are undertaking that perilous journey, not because we don’t know the dangers, but because we want an improvement in our lives. If we stay here we are not likely to get a decent job. Our best bet is to travel,” Danjuma said.

The Global Compact on Migration is expected to be adopted by member states at an intergovernmental conference on international migration in 2018. The goals of the compact are aligned with target 10.7 (Facilitate orderly, safe and responsible migration and mobility of people) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Key aims included contributing to global governance of migration and a framework for comprehensive international cooperation on migrants and human mobility.

IOM will continue to follow up with participants as the inputs for Ghana are finalized for inclusion in the compact. 

The event was funded through the project Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in Ghana which is funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF).

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For more information, contact Eric Kwame Akomanyi at IOM Ghana, Tel: +233 20 5549 243 or +233 302 742 930 ext 240, Email: eakomanyi@iom.int