Accra — On 22 February 2023, the Government of Ghana, the United Nations Network on Migration (Network) and the European Union (EU) launched the flagship project Building Migration Partnerships in Ghana.

The project aims to build the capacity of key stakeholders in the migration sector, including the Government of Ghana, for effective implementation of the country’s National Migration Policy towards safe, orderly, and regular migration with the goal of making migration work for sustainable development. It also seeks to strengthen and leverage whole-of-UN expertise to support good migration governance in the country.

“As Ghana has signed up to the Global Compact for Migration, we, as policy makers, are working to put in place measures to manage our migration programmes effectively to derive migration benefits for the country’s social and economic development. This project is crucial in supporting Ghana’s migration governance. It reflects a true commitment to building migration partnerships which is also geared towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Hon. Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, in a statement delivered by the Ministry’s Chief Director, Adelaide Anno-Kumi.

The institutional and technical capacity building will be supported through operational guidance and tools that have been developed by the Network.

The EU Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Irchad Razaaly, said: “This project highlights the linkages between migration and all sectors, such as agriculture, finances and health. This is why I am glad that it will contribute to building migration-related capacities in the different ministries and in various UN agencies.”

Ghana has made important strides in recent years towards improving its migration policy framework, notably through the development of a National Migration Policy. In addition to supporting the implementation of this policy, the project will help the government of Ghana achieve the 23 objectives set under the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, through the formulation and development of a comprehensive five-year Plan of Action.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abani, said: “Partnership and coordination is the goal for the UN. In whatever we do, we must ensure there is a joined-up approach to our actions that leverages all expertise to deliver lasting and sustainable outcomes. This is especially true for cross-cutting issues such as migration. With this project, and through the UN Network on Migration, we can demonstrate our intentional approach to deliver as one and be more responsive to the needs of the Government of Ghana as far as migration is concerned.”

The launch was preceded by a media briefing attended by national editors and journalists who play a key role in contributing to balanced migration reporting and in positively changing the narrative on migration.

The project is made possible with funding from the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) under the global Building Migration Partnerships Programme implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as coordinator and secretariat of the Network, in close collaboration with Network members - made up of UN entities - and stakeholders. For more information, please contact Aron Tekelegzi at atekelegzi@iom.int or Juliane Reissig at jreissig@iom.int