Returnee migrants need support — NADMO Boss

The Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Nana Agyemang Prempeh, has called for coordinated efforts in the provision of assistance to returnee migrants.

He stated that a standard operating procedure, which had been adopted by the government as a national document that sought to enhance that coordination, would enable the country to achieve such a desired goal.

Mr Prempeh was speaking in Sunyani last Monday at the opening of a two-day workshop organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to assess the standard operating procedure and the development of referral mechanisms for handling migrants.

It was attended by representatives of relevant agencies, including NADMO.

He explained that the IOM over the years had been an anchor that supported the government in rolling out major humanitarian interventions for Ghana’s returned migrants.

Doing more

Mr Prempeh observed that stakeholders needed to do more to educate people on safe migration in rescuing Ghanaian migrants that were stranded overseas and to restore the dignity of returned migrants, whether they were forced, deported or returned voluntarily, stressing that there was the need for a holistic approach to migrant integration.

“We must note that the welfare of returnees does not fall within the sole domain of any single organisation. Collective effort on the part of all of us will be the driving force for our success,” he stated.

Disaster preparedness

Taking a look at disasters, the NADMO boss explained that the country was confronted with many forms of hazards that had manifested to levels of disasters with increased frequency and intensity in recent times.

“The threat of earthquakes is hanging around our neck,” he stated, explaining that the repeated tremors were sufficient signals that the country was “in a stream of time, and that historical epoque is catching up with us”.

He gave an assurance that the country was on the path of a massive disaster preparedness agenda of unprecedented proportions.

That, he said, was in line with the country's objective of “leaving no one behind” as captured in the  Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.

Mr Prempeh urged the participants to enrich and equip themselves with useful information to beef up their expertise, and to apply them in their regions and offices.

The event was also attended by the Project Coordinator for IOM, Madam Pooja Ghalla.