IOM, others deepen collaboration on migration management

Global development partners and multilateral agencies working in the migration space in the country have resolved to deepen their collaboration in order to support the government to effectively manage migration.

Through a recently-established alliance called the Migration Coordination Platform (MCP), they have agreed to improve coordination of their respective migration-related interventions across the country.

The partners and agencies include the International Organisation for Migration –Ghana (IOM), European Union in Ghana; GIZ Ghana and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

Their resolve was expressed at the bi-annual meeting of the MCP held in Accra on Thursday to among other things, reflect on the progress made since the platform was created in March this year.

It was also to provide an overview of the MCP to the government of Ghana including its purpose, composition, and current areas of engagement; discuss the government’s priorities in the area of migration as well as collaboration moving forward at the policy and operational levels.

The government was represented by officials from the Ministry for The Interior; Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations; Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Diaspora Affairs- Office of the President.

The Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wireko-Brobby, lauded the organisations for their desire to team up and support efforts by the government, promising that the state would not renege on its responsibilities in relation to migration governance.

He said some efforts by the government included implementation of national labour migration policy; awareness creation on irregular migration; ensuring secure and safe labour migration through state agencies.

As part of efforts to tackle maltreatment of Ghanaian migrant workers in the Gulf States and other regions, he said the government had so far signed bilateral labour migration agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, while that of Seychelles and Kuwait is in the offing.

“We believe that labour migration management system can be enhanced if these measures are implemented in the short to medium term,” he said.

Mr Wireko-Brobby cited financial support as one of the major setbacks in migration management efforts and expressed the hope that through the government’s collaboration with the development partners and agencies, it would be addressed.

IOM Ghana Chief of Mission, Abibatou Wane-Fall, said the collaboration had so far been fruitful with members looking forward to enhancing the partnership so the aim of the platform could be achieved.

Giving an overview of the platform, Nnamdi Iwuora, a Project Manager at IOM said the MCP was created through the initiative of the European Union Delegation in Ghana and IOM, with the aim of improving the coordination of international development partners and multilateral agencies working on migration-related subjects in Ghana.

To facilitate targeted programmatic discussions between members, he said the platform had two Sub-Committees, one under the thematic area of Border Management (co-chaired by ICMPD) and the other under the thematic area of Return and Reintegration (co-chaired by GIZ).