Statistics from the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) indicate that cases of irregular migration among the youth have reduced drastically in the three regions namely Bono, Bono East and Ahafo.
According to the Bono Regional Ghana Immigration Service Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Immigration (DCI) Eric Afari, a total of 18,512 of irregular migrants who travelled outside the country to Libya in 2011 reduced to 4,031 in 2017.
The figure he noted further dropped to 741 in 2018.
The GIS Commander attributed the feat to the impact of consistent sensitisation campaigns embarked upon by personnel of the Migration Information Centre (MIC) in Sunyani to the various Senior High Schools and communities where the phenomenon was very high.
The MIC established by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in partnership with European Union and the GIS was to offer a neutral space for potential and actual migrants to obtain accurate and reliable information in respect of legal migration procedures as well as required documentation among others.
Irregular migration until the establishment of the MIC was a major issue among the youth of Nkoranza, Berekum, Techiman, Dormaa and Goaso all in the three Regions who normally use unsafe and illegal means to travel to Europe to seek for greener pastures and as a result many died on the Mediterranean Sea.
Speaking at the three-day capacity building workshop for MIC officers yesterday in Sunyani, DCI Afari said from 2016 when the centre was handed over to the GIS it has successfully organised a number of radio talk shows school and community sensitisation programmes across the three regions to empower potential migrants.
He said due to the success of their activities MIC centres have been established in Tamale and Takoradi without any interruptions for the past five years.
The Regional Commander commended the Black and White Initiative, an NGO for their support in their activities calling on other charitable organisations to join the crusade against irregular migration.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, SUNYANI
