African Union officials to validate common policy on migration.
African Union (AU) senior officials are in Accra to validate a coherent and harmonised plan of action on the global impact of migration (GCM) hinged on respect for human rights and dignity.
The two-day workshop is to examine the scope of the draft policy identify key priorities for the continent concerning the GCM and develop a clear guideline on how to implement them.
If successful, the document is expected to be adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this year and report to the International Migration Reform Forum in New York next year.
The draft policy, which has been in existence for six years but yet to be validated, recognises that regional migration is mostly related to a combination of factors, including socio-economic drivers and seasonal and livelihood factors; persistent insecurity and conflict as well as climate variability and deteriorating environmental conditions and public health emergencies.
Opening the workshop last Wednesday, the acting Chief Director of the Ministry for the Interior, Doreen Annan, urged member countries to look beyond the negatives and explore how it could impact the continent positively.
She shared with the senior officials Ghana’s example of leveraging migration to impact the economy.
The acting Chief Director told participants that Ghana had developed a diaspora engagement policy that would aim to capitalise on the developmental potential of the diaspora for economic growth.
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She cited the now famous “year of return” to engage those in the diaspora for national development leading to the granting of citizenship to over 250 persons from the Caribbean, Europe and America who traced their lineage to Ghana.
“Through this initiative, we are recognising the rights of migrants as key players in our national development,” she said.
Mrs Annan said Ghana was committed to working with the African Union to ensure meaningful implementation of the GCM to impact Africa positively.
“This way, we are positioned to effectively coordinate migration of the continent in ensuring respect for human rights and dignity,” she added.
She said the workshop comes on the heels of an informal cross-regional dialogue of the global compact for migration held in Accra in November 2023.
In her view, the compact presents Africa as a safety anchor for the effective management of international and internal migration.
“In Ghana, the compact is helping us to ensure consistency across policy domains by integrating migration issues into our national development plan and working with relevant areas and levels of government including civil society and the academia,” Mrs Annan said.
She said migration had been integrated into Ghana’s national development framework saying despite the modest gains, a lot more needed to be done in the area of implementation.
“Government through the Ministry of Interior has finalised the national coordinating mechanisms to help the implementation of the GCM and coordinating all migration-related activities,” she said.
The acting Chief Director said the GCM provided a platform for dialogue and collaboration for actors working on migration.
However, she reckoned that migration had been exacerbated by the impact of climate change, conflict and violent extremism which had influenced rural-urban migration and food insecurity.
Abstract
AU-member states have affirmed the importance of international migration and its contribution to the development of the African continent.
They have also acknowledged the tremendous challenges posed by migration and human mobility, especially when it is not managed properly to ensure that it is safe, orderly and regular.
