The Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency José Javier Blanco Navarrete has disclosed plans are underway between the European Union (EU) and the Spanish government to collaborate with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to provide sustainable livelihood empowerment to Ghanaians.
The initiative will help address the UN Sustainable Development Goals 17 and 1 which promotes Partnership for Sustainable Development and End Poverty in all its forms everywhere respectively by 2030.
According to Mr. Navarrete, the project is to discourage indigenes of the country from embarking on the dangerous travels through the Sahel in search of “greener pastures” in Europe and other parts of the world.
The 2020 World Migration Report estimates that there around 281 million people living in a country other than their countries of birth which equates to 3.6 per cent of the global population.
Europe and Asia each hosted around 87 and 86 million international migrants respectively comprising 61 per cent of the global migrants stock.
These regions are however followed by North America with 59 million, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Oceania.
The Spanish Ambassador in an interaction with personnel of Ghana Immigration Service during a working visit to Tamale last Thursday (September 15, 2022) added that the GIS could also access opportunities offered by the “MigraSafe” component under the “Pubic Foundation for Administration and Policy” (FIAPP) initiative to assist the Tamale Migration Information Centre (MIC) in achieving its mandate.
He further mentioned the exercise will also sensitize potential migrants on the legal pathways to migration opportunities and the dangers associated with irregular migration.
For his part, the Deputy Northern Regional Commander of Ghana Immigration Service, ACI. Francis Yaw Tachie, seized the opportunity to brief the Spanish Ambassador and his delegation on the activities of the Tamale Migration Information Centre, pointing out funds for their operations comes from the headquarters quarterly.
He added the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had also organized a capacity building program for personnel of the Centre to sharpen their skills on the job.
ACI Tachie however thanked the Spanish government for their unflinching support for the Ghana Immigration Service and the country as a whole.
He assured the Centre will continue to expand its activities to cover other parts of the northern sector of the country and that all resources will be put to good use.
Meanwhile, the Second in Command at the Tamale Migration Information Centre, ASI. Mohammed Zulkarinain took the delegation through a thorough presentation on the activities of the Centre since its establishment to date and highlighted their achievements and successes over the period.
