Mr Eric Boakye Peasah, National President, Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Migration in Ghana (CCMG), has called on Ghanaians and the international community to change the way migrants are perceived.
He said migrants should not be seen as “others” society was trying to rescue, but as reflections of ourselves.
He said migration was not an exception, but part of the human story, and should be approached with empathy, dignity, and shared responsibility.
Mr Peasah was speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop organised by CCMG, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, the GIZ – Shaping Development-Oriented Migration (MEG) Programme, and the International Organization for Migration.
The workshop was to strengthen CSOs capacity, to amplify their efforts in Ghana’s Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) review process, and to ensure that their collective work meaningfully informed the National Voluntary Report and global discussions at the 2026 International Migration Review Forum (IMRF).
Mr Peasah said Ghana’s designation as a Voluntary GCM Champion Country reflected dialogue, partnership, and shared responsibility as the basis for addressing migration globally.
“Although the GCM is not legally binding, Ghana has demonstrated strong commitment through the development of a National Implementation Plan (NIP) for 2025–2027 to ensure practical implementation of the compact,” he added.
He said the NIP reflected the core objectives of IMRF 2026, assessing progress, addressing gaps, and accelerating action through a comprehensive whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration.
He emphasised that CSOs remained a vital part of the implementation process, noting that grassroots engagements, documentation of lived experiences and advocacy continue to strengthen Ghana’s migration governance.
“If the GCM is a deeply rooted tree, then we as CSOs are the sunlight that helps it grow,” he said.
Mr. Peasah said CCMG held a Post-MRF Forum in April 2025 to review lessons learned and has since July 2025 partnered with CCMA to advocate in 11 countries for the ratification of the AU Free Movement Protocol.
He stressed that migration governance was not only a policy discussion but a lived reality, even for those involved in high-level global processes.
Madam Barbara Sackey, Programmes Officer, Ministry of the Interior, speaking on behalf of the Migration Directorate, reiterated that migration governance was not only a whole-of-government approach, but required a whole-of-society approach to manage it holistically.
She encouraged the CSOs to focus their attention on building stronger partnerships that would support Ghana’s preparations for the IMRF.
Madam Abena Owusua Amponsah-Bio, Implementation Manager, GIZ – MEG, working on behalf of the German Government, said Ghana’s GCM story began in December 2018, when the country proudly endorsed the Compact as one of its early champions in Africa.
She added that this endorsement marked a bold commitment to a holistic, rights-based approach to migration, one that viewed migration not as a challenge to be managed in isolation, but as an opportunity intertwined with sustainable development, economic growth, social cohesion, and human dignity.
Madam Amponsah-Bio said looking ahead to the 2026 IMRF, scheduled for May 5 – 8, in New York, with preparations including multi-stakeholder inputs and a progress declaration, MEG headquarters remained committed to supporting its Ghanaian partners.
“Together we are shaping a migration future that is safe, orderly, regular and profoundly development-oriented for Ghana and beyond,” she stressed.
Source: GNA
