Madam Elizabeth Sackey, the Mayor of Accra, says the Accra metropolis owes its social and economy vibrancy to migration.
She said Accra owed much of its vibrancy to the dynamic cultures of individuals who had chosen to make the metropolis their home.
Migrants, she noted, particularly the youth, brought perspective, innovative ideas and determination to succeed against all odds.
She said this in an address at an event to commemorate the International Migration Day which was held at the GaMashie Development Agency in Jamestown, Accra.
‘Migrants are not just recipients of our hospitality but active contributors of our economic, social and cultural development. By fostering an environment that nurtures their skills and talents, we unlock their transformative potential for our communities,” she said.
The International Migration Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2000 to recognize the important contribution of migrants while highlighting the challenges they face.
This year
‘s edition was marked at the Jamestown Basketball Court as a community event with a focus on youth empowerment.
The youth of Jamestown and neighbouring communities gathered at the playground with the objective to empower young people to create variable alternatives to irregular migration and to leverage the educational power of basketball to equip the youth with life skills and self-resilience.
The Mayor underscored the role the youth played in the migration discourse, saying it was the collective responsibility of the society to empower them since it acknowledged them as torchbearers of change.
She said the youth could be empowered to play a role in the migration discourse by investing in their skills to shape the future.
The event was attended by diplomats, youth activists and officials of Non-governmental Organization (NGO) and state agencies.
Fatou Diallo Ndiaye, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), said historically, migration had been considered as a coping mechanism in
Ghana.
She said the launch of the National Coordinating Mechanism (NCM) this year was timely as it would help coordinate effective management of migration in Ghana.
This, she said, will ensure migrants especially the youth were part of the solution and not considered as a problem in the attempts to stifle migration.
Anna Lixi, Delegation of the European Union to Ghana, in her address, said ‘safe, legal and well managed migration is key to unlock the potential of human mobility.’
She said, ‘as part of the effort to unlock the potential of human mobility, the EU reiterate its commitment in ensuring that migration becomes a force for sustainable development.’
Source: Ghana News Agency