Bono & Bono East– On 9-11 June 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with BOK Africa Concern and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), launched four community reintegration projects in the Bono and Bono East Regions. The projects are intended to provide employment opportunities for returned migrants and youth through basic infrastructure, training, and the establishment of sustainable community-led factories in the communities of Asuano, Bonsu, Agyina, and Admu.

The Bono and Bono East Regions have some of the highest levels of irregular migration in Ghana. The regions’ deficit in social amenities and infrastructure has led many young people to travel abroad in search of improving their economic fortune.

In Bonsu, a community training centre is being built to facilitate sewing training. Joanne, a Bonsu community member and returnee from Saudi Arabia, stated about the project: “I am grateful for this opportunity. It is because they don’t have any skills that many community members travel. For most of them, their lives are worse now. I am very grateful and very happy we will have such a wonderful training centre here in Bonsu.”

The goal of IOM’s community-based reintegration projects is to bring together returnees and community members – contributing to the development of the communities, supporting returnees to re-establish themselves sustainably, and reducing stigmatization.

The community of Asuano opted for a project encompassing economic, social as well as psychosocial aspects: grounds were broken for the construction of a corn mill, a mechanized borehole, and the community promised a brass band will be marking their inauguration six months from now. When speaking about the project’s impact on the community, Chief Nana Adonteng Gyimadu expressed, “This will go a long way to help the community and create jobs for the youth. For example, we are going to have a mechanized borehole, even if we have one youth take care of it, this will benefit the youth’s family and their larger community. It’s going to have a positive impact on the community as a whole.”

A community leather works centre also broke ground in Agyina, as well as a new cassava processing factory in Adamu. The interventions are carried out under the project “Assistance to Ghanaian Returnees and Potential Migrants”, funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

For more information, please contact Florian Braendli, Project Manager, IOM Ghana, at fbraendli@iom.int.