ABSTRACT
This long essay examines the Ghana’s management of Refugees’ issues. It looked at the total number of persons of concern in Ghana and their demographic characteristics. It also look at the Ghana’s strategy in managing refugees crises at the various Refugee Camps and urban areas in the country. The study specifically investigate three main questions, the number of PoCs in the country and their countries of origin. The socio-demographic characteristics of the PoCs. The strategies Government of Ghana is using to manage the refugees’ situation in the country and the challenges the GoG is facing managing the refugees and the asylum seekers in the country.
The problem is that Ghana has been hosting refugees and asylum seekers from over 38 countries across the globe since the influx generated by the political crisis of the West Africa sub-region in the early 1990s. Refugee management in Ghana is mandated by the PNDC Law 305 (D) of 1992, the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; and the 1969 OAU Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. By the end of 2016, almost 80 percent of the total refugee population from the sub-region had returned to their various countries of origin. However, there remains in the country a sizeable number of refugees and asylum seekers who have declared intentions not to go back to their countries of origin, (and are also not in a position to be weaned off humanitarian assistance which has been increasingly curtailed and unable to meet growing needs and challenges).
The country currently hosts about thirteen thousand, one hundred and thirty-two (13,132) refugees and asylum seekers. The largest group of six thousand, nine hundred and eighty-four (7042)
Persons of Concern (PoC) are Ivorians. There are also people considered to be living in refugee- like situations; and former refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone no longer covered or were granted exemption from Cessation Clauses residing in the urban areas especially at the Buduburam camp. About half of the total PoC live in camps with the remaining living in urban and semi-urban areas. Presently, there are three (3) Ivorian camps: Ampain in the Western Region, Egyeikrom in the Central Region and Fetentaa in the Brong-Ahafo Region and one (1) mixed population camp at Krisan in the Western Region. This is the main reason why I have decided to carried out the research on the PoCs.
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
This century, Millions of refugees have been produced as a result of the two world wars, numerous civil wars, ethnic and political confrontations, and massive violations of human rights. According to UNHCR, the Refugee Agency, in May, 2018, an unprecedented 68.5 million people around the world have been forced from home or displaced within their own countries. Among them are nearly 25.4 million Refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18 worldwide. One person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution. In response to the size and complexity of the refugee problem, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1951 with a mandate to ensure the safety and the well- being of refugees throughout the world, the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of refugees came into being for the guidance of the nations in the management of refugees.
Africa has the misfortune of having the greatest number of refugees and displaced persons in the world. About 30% of world’s displaced people are hosted in Africa, 26% in Middle East and Northern Africa and 15% both in America and Europe. Only 11% of displaced people are hosted in Asia and Pacific (The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 2017).
Twenty-four years ago, Mrs. Sadako Ogata, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees by then said in Ethiopia on world Refugees crises seminar that the refugee situation is particularly bad in Africa. She said Africa is producing almost one-third of the total world refugee population. According to her, the upheaval in the Central African Republic, Rwanda and Burundi
alone generated 2.4 million refugees”. She warned that a large-scale population displacement causes a serious threat to regional peace and security, what she said came to pass. (UNHCR and Ghana Refugee Board, June, 1998). As at April, 2018, there are over 18 million Refugees produced by Sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Ghana has been hosting refugees for decades and migration to and from Ghana especially within neighbouring countries has always been active (Ghana Refugee Board, 2017). Most of the refugees in Ghana have been living in Ghana for more than ten years. Ivoirian refugees who came in 2010 and 2011 have been the most recent influx of refugees to Ghana. Before that, the major influxes were in the 1990’s and in the beginning of 2000s by Togolese and Liberian refugees. (UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 2017).
The aim of this project work is to bring to all and sundry the unknown facts about the forced migrants, “The Refugees”. Also to find out how Ghana as a country is managing the educational and health issues for the refugees especially those living in the four Refugee Camps. Its principal purpose is to touch the hearts of all of us and to sensitize us to our responsibilities towards the welfare of fellow human beings.
Problem Statement
Ghana has been hosting refugees and asylum seekers from a lot of countries across the globe especially since the influx generated by the political crisis of the West Africa sub-region in the early 1990s. Refugee management in Ghana is mandated by the PNDC Law 305 (D) of 1992, the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees; and the 1969 OAU Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. By the end of 2016, almost 80
percent of the total refugee population from the sub-region had returned to their various countries of origin. UNHCR and Ghana Refugee Board, 2017. However, there remains in the country a sizeable number of refugees and asylum seekers who have declared intentions not to go back to their countries of origin, and are also not in a position to be weaned off humanitarian assistance which has been increasingly curtailed and unable to meet growing needs and challenges.
The country currently hosts over thirteen thousand, (13,000) refugees and asylum seekers. There are also people considered to be living in refugee-like situations; and former refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone no longer covered or were granted exemption from Cessation Clauses residing in the urban areas especially at the Buduburam camp. About half of the total PoCs live in camps with the remaining living in urban and semi-urban areas. Presently, there are three (3) Ivorian camps: Ampain in the Western Region, Egyeikrom in the Central Region and Fetentaa in the Brong-Ahafo Region and one (1) mixed population camp at Krisan in the Western Region. (United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees and Ghana Refugee Board, June, 2017).
Management of migrants have been a very difficult task all over the world, although there have been a number of studies on refugees and refugee families in Ghana, many of them have been on Liberians who are culturally different from other Refugees. Thus, findings from the Liberians cannot be used to generalize to other refugees in Ghana. Moreover, hardly any of the previous refugee studies in Ghana focused on Ghana’s management of refugees in spite of the fact that many refugees fled into exile with their families from different countries both English speaking and other languages. A cursory literature review indicated that there have not been studies on Ghana’s Management of Refugees’ issues in general. Thus, this study seeks to fill this
knowledge gap in order to support the rest of the Refugees. Therefore, I will like to find out about how refugees’ issues are managed in the Four Refugee Camps and urban areas in Ghana. I will look at management of education of the Refugees and Asylum Seekers especially those from the non-English speaking countries, health and protection issues of the Refugees and the Asylum Seekers, in both Camps and the urban areas.
Aims and Objectives
- My aim of choosing this topic is to find out how refugees’ issues in general are managed in Ghana. This will help to create awareness of key issues and challenges of refugee management in Ghana
This study seeks;
- To describe socio demographic characteristics of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ghana.
- To analyze the causes of any movement of Refugees in Ghana.
- To examine Ghana’s strategies for managing Refugees’ crises in Ghana in area of education, health, livelihood and protection in both refugee camps and urban areas.
- To investigate the challenges of Ghana Refugee Board and the challenges facing Refugees and Asylum seekers in Ghana.
Research Questions
- How many asylum seekers and refugees are in Ghana currently?
- Which countries are they coming from?
- What are the socio demographic characteristics of the asylum seekers and the refugees Ghana?
- How is Ghana managing the educational issues of the Refugees in the various Refugees Camps?
- How is Ghana managing the health issues of the Refugees in the various Refugees Camps?
- What are the challenges Ghana is facing managing the refugees?
Significant of the Study
- The study is intended to find out about the socio demographic data of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ghana. It will find out how the country is managing the educational and health issues of the Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the country. It will also find out about the challenges the country is facing with the refugees’ issues management and create the awareness.
