A forum bringing together representatives from the government,
diaspora associations, the private sector and civil society opens
today in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

The three-day event aims to find ways to further foster diaspora
engagement in the socio-economic development of Ghana through
productive investments and much needed transfers of skills and
knowledge. 

The forum is part of a one-year project supported of IOM's
International Development Fund (IDF). It seeks to stimulate
long-term cooperation and engagement between the Government and the
Ghanaian diaspora in five destination countries – the USA,
the UK, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. 

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Ghana

"A successful engagement of the Ghanaian diaspora is central to
the country's development," says IOM's Chief of Mission Dyane
Epstein. "So we need to make it easier for Ghanaians abroad or
people of Ghanaian heritage who wish to invest their skills,
talent, energy and money into the development of their native
country." 

Over the last year, the IOM office in Accra has worked with
government counterparts to strengthen the diaspora's engagement
through the setting up of a national Diaspora Support Unit.
Specific activities undertaken so far include a profiling of
Ghanaian diaspora groups in the five destination countries and the
holding of dialogues between the Government of Ghana and diaspora
associations.

A diaspora database and related website ( "paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"http://www.ghanaiandiaspora.com" target=
"_blank">www.ghanaiandiaspora.com) have also been established
as part of efforts to address some of the bottlenecks which prevent
Ghanaians abroad from playing a more active role in Ghana's
development. These include complex bureaucratic practices and
policies, challenges reintegrating into Ghanaian society and a lack
of effective structures to support the engagement of the
diaspora.

Globally, many countries are looking to their diasporas as
important sources of remittances, know how, and as a social and
cultural benefit to national development. The Philippines and
Mexico, for example, have benefited enormously from remittances
sent by their citizens abroad.

In Ghana, figures released by the Central Bank attest to the
importance of the Ghanaian diaspora in socio-economic development.
Remittances currently represent a bigger share of Ghana's balance
of payments than the combined total of all official development
aid.

For more information please contact 

Tsatsu Dawson

Tel: +233. 030 701 22 10

Email: "mailto:tdawson@iom.int">tdawson@iom.int 

or go to:

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"_blank">http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/ghana

"http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/governance/ministries/314-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-a-regional-integration"
target=
"_blank">http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/governance/ministries/314-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-a-regional-integration

"http://www.iom.int/developmentfund/" target=
"_blank">http://www.iom.int/developmentfund/