Campaign on migration launched in Accra

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, has advised Ghanaians, especially potential migrants, to migrate legally for their safety and security.

He said using illegal means to travel only brought untold hardship and cited instances where most young people who were lured into travelling by illegal recruitment ventures later suffered a lot of abuses as immigrants.

At the launch of the Ghana Integrated Migration Management Approach (GIMMA) project, a sensitisation programme on migration, in Accra last Thursday, he advised potential migrants to seek information about their destination.

He added that other necessary due diligence should include how safe the place was and how assured they were that the opportunity presented to them by the recruitment agencies were available, in addition to their protection.

“It is not a crime to migrate, but if you want to travel, you need to travel within the framework of law so that your safety and security are guaranteed and your health and life are protected. That is what the law seeks to do for us,” he explained.

GIMMA project

The sensitisation programme, which was organised by the Africa One International Foundation, in collaboration with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), under the auspices of the Office of the National Chief Imam, will be championed throughout the country to prevent Ghanaians from encountering the dangers of migration.

As the Patron of the GIMMA project, the Chief Imam underscored the need for the youth to be educated on migration to expose them to the dangers associated with doing it illegally.

The National Officer at the IOM, Mr Kojo Wilmot, said Ghanaian migrant workers in the Middle East were exploited, leading to the Government of Ghana placing a moratorium on migration to the Gulf regions.

Mr Wilmot stated that the IOM had established a Migration Information Centre in Sunyani and resourced the Migration Information Bureau at the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) headquarters in Accra to offer accurate and reliable information to potential migrants and the general public.

Counselling on safe migration

For her part, the Head of Migration Management at the Migration Information Bureau, GIS, Superintendent Pamela Codjo, advised potential migrants to visit the centre for counselling on safe migration.

“Any potential migrant can walk in and ask for information. We do not charge anybody for counselling so that every potential migrant can migrate legally and yield benefits to themselves and the country at large,” she stated.

The Director of Operations at the Image Africa One International Foundation, Mr Mahmoud Jajah, noted that: “We will do a grassroot campaign to communicate directly to the members of the Zongo communities. We will also put up offices in the communities where people can walk in for information about immigration issues.”