A government policy that seeks to enhance the engagement between Ghana and its diaspora for the socio-economic development of the country, is ready for implementation.
The Diaspora Engagement Policy, approved by cabinet in August this year, is expected to strengthen systems for the involvement of the Ghanaian diaspora in mobilising resources for the nation building.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, Akwasi Awuah Ababio, who disclosed this in Accra on Tuesday, said preparations were ongoing for its launch by the end of the year.
He made this known at the bi-annual meeting of the Migration Coordination Platform (MCP) aimed to discuss ongoing interventions and evolving dynamics in diaspora engagement and national development.
The MCP is an alliance of development partners and multilateral agencies that work in the migration space of the country and have joined forces to complement efforts of the government.
They include the International Organisation for Migration-Ghana (IOM), European Union in Ghana; German Development Corporation (GIZ Ghana) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).
Mr Ababio said the government recognised the diaspora and one of its biggest assets and would, through the policy, harness the potential of the diaspora to contribute to national development.
He said the seven components of the plan included capacity building and data collection with an initial 15 months plan to create awareness and firm up a strategy to ensure effective implementation.
Mr Ababio said a diaspora fund was being considered to support the long term sustainability of the implementation, monitoring, coordination and other aspects of the policy.
Touching of the migration of young professional to Europe, he said it was a step in the direction because it would help them learn best practices as well as send remittances to support their home country.
The Chief Director of the Ministry for the Interior, Adelaide Anno-Kumi, said the diaspora played a crucial role in national development as the country received an estimated $4.3 billion in remittances in 2020, equating to more than six per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.
To enhance various interventions in place to effectively manage migration, she said a National Coordination Mechanism on Migration was being established.
Expected to be launched in November, she said, it would facilitate cooperation and coordinate interventions among relevant stakeholders with migration-related functions.
She commended the MCP for its support to Ghana and assured them of the government’s readiness to collaborate with them on interventions.
The IOM Ghana Chief of Mission, Fatou Diallo Ndiaye said enhancing the engagement between homeland and diaspora was an important move that would help unleash diaspora investment.
A Programme Component Manager of GIZ, Abena Owusua Amponsah-Bio and ICMPD National expert, Alberta Teye Agudey in separate speeches, also declared their support for Ghana’s diaspora engagement efforts.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
