The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (MoSR) has launched a project to reduce youth trafficking in sports.

The project, dubbed "Addressing Human Trafficking in Sports in Ghana," was launched at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Sports and Recreation.

The initiative also comes about on the back of a two-year research from the IOM, who seek to figure out a baseline that will help in reducing human trafficking in sports if not completely putting a halt to it.

"This project is a follow-up of our previous engagement with the ministry. We had done a lot of youth engagements on the sidelines of the African Games, and one of the issues that came during the forum we organised was issues of trafficking and lack of regular channels that sportsmen can use legally to attain a professional career," said Eric Kwame Akomanyi who is the National Project Officer at IOM.

"Based on conversations with the research department, we decided to get more data, more evidence on issues of trafficking and how to get regular pathways for professionals who would want to get professional careers outside."

"We are aiming to do a baseline study and understand the phenomenon of human trafficking in sports."

On his path, the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, lauded IOM for the initiative, pledging his support.

"Every migration must be lawful and be done through the right channel. Lawful migration is allowed, irregular migration is what we want to avoid," he said.

"If you are a sports person and you want to go somewhere, you are going because a club has signed you up and you are going. Where you are deceived into believing that there are greener pastures somewhere, some of them end up suffering organ harvesting that happens sometimes in the Sahel zones.

"These are the things we want to avoid."

In attendance at the launch was former Ghana international footballer Kwame Ayew, representatives from the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, National Sports Authority (NSA), and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).