By Patience Gbeze/Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, July 23, GNA – Nana Kyere Agyemang, the Deputy Director of the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President (DAOOP), says Ghana must move beyond policy commitments, to strengthen the coordination and implementation of its migration governance framework while creating a structured system to integrate returning diasporans.
He said although Ghana had adopted a National Migration Policy, a National Diaspora Engagement Policy and a Labour Migration Policy and was a signatory to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and other commitments, the country’s greatest challenge remained the effective coordination and implementation of these commitments.
Mr Agyemang was speaking at the second day of the 2026 Post-International Migration Forum (IMRF) National Stakeholders Dialogue in Accra, organised by the Coalition of CSO’s on Migration Ghana (CCMG), a GIZ Programme “Shaping Development-Oriented Migration (MEG)” and partners.
He noted that reviews following the Africa Regional Migration Review Forum and Ghana’s national migration reflection in April 2025, exposed significant weaknesses, including fragmented migration data across institutions, inadequate coordination between national and local authorities, inconsistent data disaggregation and insufficient financing for migration-related interventions.
He called for the establishment of an interoperable national migration data system with harmonised definitions, common datasets and stronger inter-agency information sharing to support evidence-based policymaking.
Mr Agyemang stressed that migration data must be timely, reliable, and actionable rather than remaining isolated within individual institutions.
He urged the government to strengthen the protection of Ghanaian workers seeking employment abroad through regulated migration pathways, enforceable employment contracts, improved recruitment oversight, stronger bilateral labour agreements and responsive consular services.
“Skills mobility should be pursued as a mutually beneficial partnership rather than an avenue for talent extraction,” he added.
The Deputy Director of DAOOP, identified sustainable financing and operational coordination as another critical priority, calling for migration governance to be incorporated into national planning and budgeting with clearly defined institutional mandates and functional thematic working groups to ensure accountability.
He said President John Dramani Mahama’s global advocacy for reparative justice, placed a responsibility on Ghana to create favourable conditions for descendants of enslaved Africans choosing to settle in the country.
Mr Agyemang proposed a comprehensive integration framework that guaranteed transparent land acquisition procedures, predictable residency pathways, cultural orientation programmes, structured investment and skills integration mechanisms, and deliberate preparation of host communities.
The Deputy Director called for renewed attention to the rights of continental diasporans, noting growing concerns over resistance to dual citizenship provisions and persistent delays in extending diaspora entitlements and improving consular services.
He urged stakeholders to ensure that all migration governance efforts mainstream gender responsiveness, protect children and young migrants, promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities and prepare for climate-induced mobility, which he described as an increasingly pressing reality for Ghana.
Mr Eric Boakye Peasah, the Convener, CCMG, said effective migration governance in Ghana could only be achieved through stronger collaboration among government institutions, civil society, development partnersand other stakeholders.
He said the IMRF served as the principal global platform for Member States and stakeholders to assess progress in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adding that Ghana’s participation in this year’s forum in New York provided an opportunity to reflect on achievements, address emerging challenges and shape the future of migration governance.
Mr Peasah explained that the meeting had been convened to ensure that discussions and lessons from IMRF 2026 translated into practical actions within Ghana rather than remaining confined to international conference halls.
“The forum provides an important platform for members of Ghana’s delegation to share their experiences from the global review, while enabling stakeholders to examine innovative migration practices from other countries and identify opportunities to strengthen migration governance in Ghana,” he added.
The Convener reaffirmed the Coalition’s commitment to supporting stronger migration governance in Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
23 July 2026