Mr. Jones Owusu Yeboah
The government must consider reinforcing its national policy on migration to emphasise positive contributions of migrants and their fundamental role in sustainable development when it is safe, orderly and dignified, Jones Owusu Yeboah, Executive Director of SEWA Foundations has advocated.
He said in drafting such a policy, it was important to consult all stakeholders to ensure that migration priority issues, such as irregular migration, labour migration and human trafficking were thoroughly discussed with relevant partners.
He was speaking with the “Ghanaian Times” following an International Conference on migration on December 10, where over 160 world leaders and representatives of government met in Marra Kesh, Morocco to adopt the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.
The Global Compact for Migration (GCM) was the first-ever United Nations global agreement on common approach on dealing with international migration in all its entire dimension.
The GCM which focused on solutions and best practices to facilitate regular migration also recognised that no country could address the challenges and opportunities of migration on its own.
The pact which was not legally binding contained a list of possible actions, which signatory member states including Ghana could choose from to address irregular migration, human trafficking, border management, and return and integration of migrants.
Granting the interview under the back drop of International Migrants Day which was observed on Tuesday, December 10 in accordance with Resolution 55/93 of United Nation General Assembly on December 2000, Mr Yeboah said migration was inevitable due to demography and crisis, demand for labour, socio-economic disparities and other driving factors adding that it was actually desirable, if well managed.
He said migration could provide immense opportunities and benefits for the migrants, host communities, of origin and destination adding that when poorly regulated, it could also create significant challenges.
Mr Yeboah said movement from Ghana to other parts of the world, especially, the Gulf States, has grown substantially in recent times with many Ghanaians being lured there in search of greener pastures only to be faced with adverse situations on arrival.
He said the government could put measures in place as practiced in Ethiopia to ensure that migration to the Gulf States was treated as export of extra labour from Ghana such that all engagements of the migrants were well monitored, to ensure good treatment at their various work places, in adherence to international best practice.
Mr Yeboah said the government under such arrangement could also streamline their remittances back home to not only enhance economic development but also guard against misuse of remittances which most migrants became vulnerable.
SEWA Foundation is a non-governmental Organisation Committed to eradication of human trafficking and modern day slavery, with a focus on reducing child-trafficking and child – slavery.
By Lawrence Markwei
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