The Director of Immigration, COP [Dr.] Peter A. Wiredu has highly commended the European Union [EU] for their initiative to establish a Migration Consultation Center [MCC] at Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The Center is expected to be an information hub to provide migration information to prospective migrants in the region and beyond as part of measures being put in place to reduce irregular migration in that area.

COP [Dr.] Peter Wiredu said the center will also conduct assessments to evaluate the needs of migrants and their level of understanding on the risk of irregular migration whilst providing them with legal options of migration.

The Director made these statements at the maiden Project Steering Committee meeting held under the auspices of the Ghana Integrated Migration Management Approach [GIMMA] Project which is being implememted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in Accra.  

He assured the EU that, the GIS would sustain and improve upon all the deliverables of the projects being undertaken by the Service with their support.

The GIMMA project which is receiving funding from the EU is worth three million Euros for a three [3] - year period. This is to complement the effort of the Government of Ghana to manage migration effectively in line with the GIS Strategic Plan and the strategic interest of the nation as a whole. During the same period, a 70 - seater ultra modern computer laboratory would be established at the Immigration Training School at Assin Foso in the Central Region.

Focus of GIMMA
Speaking at the meeting, the Project Manager, Ms. Kazumi Nakamura said, the GIMMA project is focused on equipping the GIS to better control her borders and protect migrants whilst giving potential migrants the opportunity to make informed migration decisions through intensified educational campaigns across the nation.

Ms Kazumi Nakamura added that, during this period, a national migration data sharing framework would be developed for policy makers. She said that, the project amongst others seeks to build the capacity of the GIS in the area of collecting and managing migration data. A legal handbook for the Service would also be developed and outdoored, she added.

She further stated that, nationwide educational campaigns and other outreach programmes would be conducted to drum home safe and legal migration procedures and the dangers associated with irregular migration. Ghanaian returnees would also be provided with reintegration support through alternative livelihood options.

Border Assessment
In a related development, a preliminary report on border assessment conducted by the GIMMA project team in some parts of the Volta and Western Regions revealed a lot of challenges in the area of poor infrastructure and inadequate logistics.
The EU representative, Mr. Francesco Torcoli and the Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration, Sylvia Lopez Ekra re-affirmed their support to the Immigration Service and to the successful completion of GIMMA.  

SOURCE:>>