ABSTRACT
Globally refugee integration has been one of the three durable solutions that has been used worldwide. Millions of refugees around the world live year after year with little hope of ever returning home. Some cannot because their countries are engulfed by endless conflict or because they fear persecution if they were to return. In cases where repatriation is not an option, finding a home in the country of asylum and integrating into the local community could offer a durable solution to their plight and the chance to build a new life. This study examined the socio-cultural and economic factors affecting integration of former Liberian refugees in Ghana. The specific objectives were to examine the demographic characteristics of L.I applicants and how it affected their integration processes, economic and socio-cultural factors effect on L.I applicants as well as how GRB and UNHCR approach towards integration of refugees in Ghana. The research employed a mixed methods approach with a sample size of seventy (70) respondents for quantitative and eight (8) in-depth interviews consisting of four (4) LI applicants and relevant organizations including GRB, UNHCR, GIS and NADMO (Camp Management) for the qualitative. The concepts of social, cultural and economic integration were used for the conceptual framing of the work. Among the key findings of the study were that; first, 48.6% of the respondents opted to stay in Ghana because of physical security, two-fifth of them (40.0%) used the money received as part of the LI package to pay school fees. The main economic factors affecting the integration of the LI applicants is high standard of living and difficulty in getting access to job opportunities in Ghana. Socio-culturally, more than half (61.4%) of the respondents could not speak any Ghanaian language, which is vital to the integration process, but overwhelming majority (91.4%) responded yes to enjoying Ghanaian food. Again, close to three- quarters (71.4%) mentioned that they belong to a religious group. The study concluded that, support from GRB and UNHCR and some state organizations aided in the integration process through skills training, facilitation of legal documents as well as community integration. It is recommended that, access to social services, acquisition of resources should be made available and accessible to L.I applicants to ensure fairness and balance in acquiring resources. Since issues surrounding local integration are complex in nature, such processes should start from the time the country (Ghana) opens its borders to refugees in order to avoid possible problems at the end of the refugee cycle.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of the study.
The migration of individuals from one place to another has occurred throughout history. For thousands of years, migrants around the world have chosen to leave their home countries on discovery missions and in search of a better life in foreign places. Unfortunately, many others with little choice have been forced to leave their place of birth. Unlike immigrants, refugees are individuals who have not chosen to leave their home countries. Instead, they have often faced conflict and persecution and have had to settle into new communities with little or no resources.
In June 2019, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimate that, about
70.8 million people around the world have been forced from home, Among them are nearly 25.9 million refugees and 3.5 asylum seekers, over half of whom are under the age of 18 (UNHCR, 2019). This rise in the number of refugees, according to UNHCR, is due to the upsurge of conflicts or wars, persecutions, violence and human rights violations across the globe. Africa in recent times has witnessed huge numbers of refugee movements, which has affected its demographic and social structure. Africa constitutes about 12 per cent of the World‘s population but sub-Saharan Africa alone, for example, produced about 26 per cent out of about 25.9 million refugees in the world. Moreover, nine out of the top twenty nations that produce refugees in the world are from Africa. For several decades, Africa has witnessed many armed and violent conflicts, which have forced millions of people out of their homelands into neighbouring countries and beyond (Beck, 2009). Due to the large numbers of refugees produced on the continent, African countries have the responsibility of hosting huge numbers of displaced
persons. In fact, most of the refugees‘ are hosted in the regions, particularly in the neighbouring states.
The West African sub region, unlike places such as the great lakes region in Africa experienced less significant refugee flow since the end of colonialism. Eastern Africa, the Great Lakes region, in particular, has been responsible for producing such huge refugee influxes. However, this fortune turned from the 1990s when West Africa started generating and receiving refugees substantially. Ever since, obstinate conflicts such as the ones in Cote d‘Ivoire, Liberia, Togo and Guinea in West Africa and other Africa countries like Sudan, Rwanda, Somali, Eritrea etc, have contributed enormously to the generation of refugees in Africa. The mass influx of refugees that has bedeviled the sub-region over the last twenty years is unprecedented. This is not to state that there were no refugees before the 1990s. For instance, Ghana has hosted refugees since attaining independence, however, the number of refugees at those times were minimal and the geographical location of the refugees were largely diverse.
Since 1990, Ghana has been a transit and a host country for refugees and asylum seekers. Ghana has since then hosted refugees largely from African and Non- Africa countries (Acheampong, 2015). Ghana has become a preferred destination for refugees most especially from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East due to its relative peace and stability.
This research examined socio-cultural and economic factors affecting the integration of former Liberian refugees in Ghana by using mixed method as a research approach. Specific objectives such as, demographic characteristics of the LI applicants and how it influences the integration process, the factors that affect economic and socio-cultural integration process of the LI applicants and the roles of Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) support systems in facilitating integration of the L.I applicants were looked at.
The study unearthed the fissure in the refugee act in facilitating integration of former refugees in Ghana and thus informs a need to reformulate it to make it clear and applicable for all refugees seeking integration in the country.
Statement of problem
Ghana has experienced the influx of Liberian refugees since 1990. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by the end of 1996 about 40,000 Liberian refugees were in Ghana. This refugee population were hosted in the Buduburam refugee camp in the Gomoa East District in the Central Region of Ghana (Agblorti, 2011). Refugees are mostly met with short-term assistance from the host country and UNHCR that is mandated to manage the affairs of refugees at the global level. The aim of this assistance is to provide a source of relief to the refugees and asylum seekers with the anticipation that things will get better at their country of origin for them to return home (Crisp, 2003). However, the protracted nature of conflicts usually make it impossible for them to return immediately. In an effort to address the predicaments of refugees, UNHCR provides three durable solutions as policies in addressing the situation. These policies are Voluntary Repatriation, Local Integration (LI) and Resettlement (Acheampong, 2015).
Whereas voluntary repatriation is the acceptance of refugee to return to their country of origin willingly. Local integration refers to a process whereby the refugees choose to settle in the host country. Resettlement on the other hand is where the refugee is transferred to a third country. A refugee is considered to have secured a solution to his or her circumstance if he/she finds a safe and permanent solution to his/her plight through one of these durable measures (Stein, 1986). However, following the improved security situation in Liberia and a return to lawful rule, the international community invoked cessation clause for Liberian refugees on June 30, 2012
(UNHCR, 2014). Ghana first local integration was implemented in 2013 for Liberia refugees after the invocation of the cessation clause.
This cessation clause meant that Liberians no longer had refugee status globally. Consequently, the Liberian refugees in Ghana needed to either repatriate by the end of June 2012 before the implementation of the Cessation Clause or commence a process of local integration. About 7,000 Liberian refugees remained in Ghana at the end of June 2012 after the voluntary repatriation of some of them back to Liberia.
The government of Ghana in partnership with UNHCR and Liberia government implemented the
L.I for four thousand one hundred and seventeen (4117) who opted to be integrated (GRB, 2014). During the implementation, UNHCR gave a monetary grant of $400 to each adult, $200 to each children and rolled them onto National Health Insurance Scheme for one (1) year. The Liberia government issued them with national passport while Ghana government issued them with four years residence and work permit.
Ideally, applicants need to leave the camp to settle in any part of the country of their choice but because some challenges like, delayed in their passports, most of them are still living inside the Buduburam camp.
Assessing the significance of local integration of former Liberian refugees in terms of their socio-cultural and economic factors affecting the LI applicants is the focus of this study. Some research have been done before and after the implementation of the LI but little was done about the socio-cultural and economic factors affecting the integration of the applicants. For instances, reflections and views of individual refugees who are taking part in the integration program (Acheampong. 2015). The host community perception about the local integration of Liberian refugees in Ghana (Agblorti, 2011). Also most of the work that were done on the topic were
done qualitatively which allow for smaller sample size as a result the finding could not be generalized.
The study seek to examine the socio-cultural and economic factors affecting the integration of theses former Liberian refugees in Ghana by using mixed method. That is using both quantitative and qualitative method.
Objectives
The following research objectives were interrogated;
- To examine the demographic characteristics of the LI applicants and how it influences the integration process.
- To examine the factors that affect economic and socio-cultural integration process of the LI applicants.
- To find out the roles and support systems of Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in facilitating integration of former Liberian refugees who opted for L.I in Ghana.
Rationale of the study
By giving priority to the views of L.I applicants, Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials, the study provides firsthand information about the social, economic and cultural factors affecting the integration of former Liberians refugees who opted for L.I in Ghana. Thus, this empirical study focuses on both
‗bottom-up‘ and ‗top-down‘ approach in terms of investigating the socio-economic and cultural
factors affecting their integration. For any former refugee seeking integration into local community there are internal and external factors that influence the process of integration.
