Govt, UNHCR to implement agric initiative to improve lives of refugees
The government and the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are implementing an initiative that will ensure that refugees and host communities can access livelihoods, contribute to local economies and build stable and self-reliant futures.
They would do this through UN-backed sustainable agricultural initiatives.
The initiative, Ghana Refugee Agribusiness Sustainability Programme (GRASP), is designed to align refugee inclusion with national development priorities, attract private sector investment into refugee-hosting areas and support livelihoods through value chain development and market access.
It will be implemented in ZiniDakuma in the Sissala West District in the Upper West Region and Atta Akura in the Kintampo North District in the Bono East Region.
The initiative will target 500 refugee households and 500 host community households in the pilot. At least 40 per cent of women have been targeted.
In all, the initiative estimates the acquisition of 2,500 acres of land in each region with an allocation of five acres to each household.
A dialogue programme on the initiative was organised in Accra yesterday to bring together private sector actors, government institutions and development partners to explore how investment, particularly in agriculture, can create economic opportunities for both refugees and host communities in northern Ghana.
It is centred around GRASP, which positions agribusiness not only as a livelihood activity but as a structured, investment-ready pathway to economic inclusion.
The Head of UNHCR Ghana Operation, Padi Tetteh, said the initiative, which was a paradigm shift in managing displacement, fully aligned with the government's Feed Ghana Programme, meaning it was anchored in national policy and not a standalone humanitarian project.
He said GRASP was designed to enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen land use through allocation of land to beneficiaries, offering beneficiaries cooperatives, provision of inputs, and training in sustainable farming, as well as facilitation of crop purchase and investment in the private sector.
He said they had already made available land for the initiative, and they were willing to add more depending on how they utilised the ones provided for under GRASP.
Implementation
Regarding the implementation approach, he said they had completed the sensitisation for the host communities and the refugees, registered some beneficiaries, carried out site visits, engaged state actors, the private sector actors and CSOs.
“The next activity is land demarcation, allocating the land, and then soil assembly.
Again, we intend to carry out training in appropriate agronomic practices and germination tests.
Again, we will train refugees, host communities, and all actors against sexual exploitation and abuse.
We don't take this lightly at all,” he said.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Zia Choudhury, mentioned the opportunities the initiative offered to include a new supply chain for businesses, access to a trained and motivated workforce and a platform for climate-smart, impact-oriented growth.
The Special Envoy to the Sahel, Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, said the initiative could serve as a model for broader regional cooperation, urging expansion beyond Ghana.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of the Ghana Refugee Board, Dr Nasibatu Taahiru-Swallah, called for strong partnerships across sectors to ensure the programme’s success.
