The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abani, has entreated the government to tackle current economic difficulties in time to save the youth from falling prey to violent crimes.
He made the assertion that the economic quandary was a result of the covid-19 pandemic and the unending Russian aggression, but the government must quicken its pace toward economic recovery.
Speaking exclusively to Citi News, Mr Abani underscored the need for the government to adopt homegrown solutions to relieve stress.
“Ghana needs to grow its production capacity and cut import significantly,” he said, adding “building Ghana’s robust economy makes it less vulnerable to shocks.”
He added that citizens’ participation in the Domestic Debt Exchange Program is in order to secure better agreement terms for faster debt structuring agreements with the International Monetary Fund.
He made these statements to Citi News on the sidelines of the launch of the European Union and United Nations Building Migration Partnerships Project sponsored by the European Union.
BUILDING MIGRATION PARTNERSHIPS PROJECT
Under the sponsorship of the European Union, the United Nations Network on Migration launched the “Building Migration Partnerships Project” aimed at providing a guide for Ghana’s migration acceleration towards safe and orderly migration.
The EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, said: “This project highlights the linkages between
migration and all sectors, such as agriculture, finances, and health. This is why I am glad that it will
contribute to building migration-related capacities in the different ministries and in various UN agencies.”
The project aims to build the capacity of key stakeholders in the migration sector, including the
Government of Ghana, for effective implementation of the country’s National Migration Policy towards safe, orderly, and regular migration with the goal of making migration work for sustainable development.
It also seeks to strengthen and leverage whole-of-UN expertise to support good migration governance in
the country.
“As Ghana has signed up to the Global Compact for Migration, we, as policymakers, are working to put in place measures to manage our migration programmes effectively to derive migration benefits for the country’s social and economic development. This project is crucial in supporting Ghana’s migration governance. It reflects a true commitment to building migration partnerships, which is also geared towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals,” said Hon. Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, in a statement delivered by the Ministry’s Chief Director, Adelaide Anno-Kumi.
The institutional and technical capacity building will be supported through operational guidance and tools that have been developed by the Network.
The EU Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Irchad Razaaly, said “This project highlights the linkages between migration and all sectors, such as agriculture, finances and health. This is why I am glad that it will contribute to building migration-related capacities in the different ministries and in various UN agencies.”
Ghana has made important strides in recent years towards improving its migration policy framework, notably through the development of a National Migration Policy. In addition to supporting the implementation of this policy, the project will help the government of Ghana achieve the 23 objectives set under the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, through the formulation and development of a comprehensive five-year Plan of Action.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abani, said: “Partnership and coordination is the goal for the UN. In whatever we do, we must ensure there is a joined-up approach to our actions that leverages all expertise to deliver lasting and sustainable outcomes.
This is especially true for cross-cutting issues such as migration. With this project, and through the UN Network on Migration, we can demonstrate our intentional approach to deliver as one and be more responsive to the needs of the Government of Ghana as far as migration is concerned.”
The launch was preceded by a media briefing attended by national editors and journalists who play a key role in contributing to balanced migration reporting and in positively changing the narrative on migration.