The Ghanaian German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (GGC), commemorated this year’s International Migrants’ Day with a sensitisation programme for residents in the Amasaman district of the Greater Accra region. 

The event, which was on the theme ‘Be safe: choose regular migration’, attracted over 300 youth in the area.

Participants were sensitized on various opportunities available in the country that they can leverage to and advance their livelihoods.

They were also educated on the phenomenon of irregular migration, the dangers and its impact on migrants and their families. In addition to listening to presentations from GGC, Participants had the opportunity to listen to returning immigrants share their stories and engaged in fruitful discussions.

Many young Ghanaians attempt to reach Europe in search of greener pastures by traveling irregularly through Libya because of misinformation and limited opportunities for safe and regular migration.

Many of them either end up losing their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea or live in deplorable conditions in Libya, suffering human rights abuses at the hands of smugglers and in detention centres.

Speaking at the event, Senior National Coordinator for Employment and Reintegration at the GGC, David Yawo Tette-Mensah said “today is quite critical for us because we have decided to bring the conversation on irregular migration to the streets and to the doorstep of the people who are pivotal in this whole conversation – the youth. We are doing this because it is important for them to first understand this phenomenon, and then guide them to take ownership of the narrative around migration”.

Mr. Tette added that irregular migration, when poorly regulated, can create significant challenges. These include exerting undue pressure on social infrastructures with the unexpected arrival of large numbers of people, and the deaths of migrants undertaking dangerous journeys.

He urged the participants to choose regular migration if they chose to leave the country.

Anchored on its three pillars of Career Guidance, Employment Promotion and Reintegration Support services, the GGC offers employment promotion services to job seekers in Ghana and counsels its clients on socio-economic prospects in Ghana.

The Centre targets local population and returning migrants alike. Its services include individual counselling, profiling, soft skills training, career guidance advice, psycho-social support, referral into vocational and entrepreneurship training and start-up support (training, equipment and business registration) among others. 

Since its inception in December 2017, the Centre has counselled more than 9,000 individuals, offered more than 8,000 training programmes to clients and facilitated more than 450 persons into employment or supported in setting up a business.