By: Elizabeth French
A Researcher and Fellow with the Migrants Advocacy Center, Dr. Frank Ayisi, has charged policy makers and actors on migration to promote social inclusion and design policies that will address uniqueness and viability of migrants.
According to him, nations hosting migrants such as Ghana should create a space to integrate those at risk of societal de-inclusion to identify their needs in order to ensure social cohesion.
Speaking at a social dialogue for migrants in Accra, Dr. Ayisi mentioned that creating a national framework to involve migrants’ issues will enable stronger cooperation and development.
The social dialogue on migration centered on mainstream integration of migrants within broader policies on social inclusion.
Presentations focused on the relevance of regional integration and building social cohesion through initiatives that bring migrants and locals together as well as breakdown stereotype encounters.
The migrants explored all factors involved ranging from underlying rights and recognition to effects of individual survival in the West African sub-region. Individual contributions highlighted discrimination and lack of harmonized immigration procedures and documents, trade barriers, harassment at the various borders despite the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, free movement protocols implementation.
A Researcher and Fellow with the Migrants Advocacy Center, Dr, Frank Ayisi, mentioned that ECOWAS protocols largely depend on commitment of the member states and therefore it should lobby states to implement agreement and protocol mechanisms to avoid the violation of rights of citizens and migrants. He therefore emphasized on the need for a comprehensive and balanced approach to labour migration.
A Sociologist and Member of the Migration Development and Equality Project, Professor Akosua Darkwah, encouraged South-South migrants to foster unity in building social cohesion to create an enabling environment regardless of citizen status in ECOWAS member countries.
Some migrants encouraged their counterparts to be law-abiding in host nations and identify partners through networking and affiliating with associations that can properly represent them.
West African migrants and leadership of the Ghana Union of Traders along the Accra-Tema corridor participated in the discussion.
