Kasoa (C/R)-Ghana, Dec. 28, GNA – Low education among migrants’ communities has been identified as one of the barriers to peaceful coexistence with indigenes of the local communities in the country.
Most migrants and their host community members, out of insufficient awareness and education, turn to have negative perceptions about each other in terms of their rights.
These observations were made at a day’s community cross-talk organised by the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS), University of Ghana, Legon in partnership with Migration Advocacy Center, an NGO for migrants from Buduburam Refugee Camp, indigenes from Kasoa and its environs.
The event forms part of Migration for Development and Equality (MIDEQ) Project being undertaken by the CMS to promote peaceful coexistence among migrants and members of their host communities.
Professor Mary Setrana, the Director of CMS and IDRC Chair on Forced Displacement, said the cross-talk aimed at bringing stakeholders together to speak across their views, learn from each other to encourage cohesion among migrants and host communities.
It was also to enable them to deliberate on how to co-exist by being nice to each other to build cohesion and thereby propel economic development of the country.
She said: “Migrants are very important for socioeconomic development of every country, hence the need to protect them to foster peaceful environment.”
She said there were lots of benefits within the West Africa region that migrants could take advantage of to better their lots and not necessarily move abroad.
Prof. Setrana said the dialogue would be a continuous effort by CMS to build stronger relationships with migrants’ communities across the country.
DSI Jonathan Tetteh from Ghana Immigration Service, Kasoa Central Sector Command, commended the CMS and MAC for the event to strengthen peaceful coexistence in migrants’ communities.
He urged the migrants to acquaint themselves with information and the laws on migrants to ensure peaceful stay in the country.
He also assured them of the Service’s preparedness to assist and guide them to acquire the relevant documents and to regularise their stay.
MIDEQ project has identified a complex relationship, including some form of inequalities, between migrants and the locals.
The project also revealed that there was a lot of movement within Africa and that if policies and migration are handled well, there are some opportunities and benefits along the south-south migration for both host countries and migrants themselves.
