Ghana - The Government of Ghana is one step closer to unveiling its new national migration policy. A two-day high level validation workshop was held (1-2 December) in Koforidua, Eastern Region, supported by IOM Ghana. The session brought together officials from various government agencies who paved the way for the endorsement and approval of the Cabinet. The national migration policy is slated for Cabinet review in the first quarter of 2015.

For the past year an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on Migration (IMSCM), spearheaded by the Migration Unit of the Ministry of Interior, has been engaged in the formulation of a ground breaking migration policy that clearly defines the migration legal framework, coordinating mechanism and creates synergies with national development goals.

“It is important to state that in the recent past, there was no strategic framework on migration to drive the debate on migration in Ghana, as well as provide relevant information especially relating to migration data. In the light of this, it was important that Ghana should develop a migration policy to ensure that the country maximizes the positive effects of migration; for example remittances, whilst minimizing the negatives like brain-drain,” says Hon. James Agalga, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of the Interior, Ghana.

The lack of a clearly defined migration legal framework and coordinating mechanism, coupled with the weakness of migration management and border control, could have an impact on the country’s economy and development. Notwithstanding the absence of a comprehensive policy, other international conventions, protocols and the National Population Policy (1994) directly or indirectly are used as frameworks to regulate or manage migration in Ghana. Addressing migration issues requires a coordinated and multi-level response aimed both at tackling the challenges posed by increased migration and capitalizing on the opportunities that migration offers.

Since the creation of the IMSCM, IOM Ghana has been assisting the Government of Ghana develop a national migration policy by mobilizing national and international experts and providing programmatic and financial support to government institutions.

Through the current IOM Development Fund (IDF) project ‘Developing a Migration Policy to Integrate Migration into the National Development Framework for Ghana’, the overall goal is to contribute to the Government of Ghana’s efforts to effectively manage and harness the benefits of migration by mainstreaming migration into the national development framework. The specific objectives are to improve the regulatory framework for effective migration management and also enhance the capacities of policy makers and practitioners to implement the national migration policy. As part of activities to achieve the objectives, validation workshops have been organized with Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and Chief Directors of relevant ministries in order to receive high level technical inputs into the policy document. The 18 member Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior was also engaged for further discussion and subsequently contributed to the policy for onward submission to the Cabinet for approval.

The general consensus from the December validation workshops was that the development of a migration policy document should be in line with the country’s reality and needs to define clear recommendations and responsibilities for all actors.

For additional information please contact

Daniel Sam
Email: dsam@iom.int