Asylum seekers in Ghana have expressed their frustration with obtaining National Identification cards, a situation they say has led to significant economic hardship by hampering their ability to find work and improve their standard of living.
Some refugees, speaking to Channel One News lamented some challenges they are facing including their exclusion, especially in obtaining citizenship and IDs in Ghana.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, Chairman of the Ghana Refugee Board, disclosed that the issuance of non-citizen identification cards to refugees is currently ongoing.
“The issuance of the non-citizen ID cards to refugees is ongoing. It continues to ensure that refugees are included in socioeconomic and other related activities in the country.”‘
Executive Secretary of Ghana Refugee, Tetteh Paddie disclosed inadequate funding for assisting refugees in the country and called on the private sector for support.
“The same donor who provides fund activities to maybe Europe are the same who provide funds for us here. A lot of them are diverting to what they consider as more emergencies; the Ukraine situation, the situation in Palestine and so UNHCR is finding it difficult to fund activities in this part of the world.”
Offering some suggestions, Dr. Felix Hughes, a Liberian refugee in Ghana, urged stakeholders to empower refugees with skills to survive and thrive.
“There’s a drive, I mean the brain drive is there, it has been in Ghana for a while, but I think that if refugees are empowered, they are given skills, some of them, can do well to sustain themselves, I think they can be able to survive.”
Acting Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Andrews Ginsberg, called on stakeholders to ensure the integration of refugees in Ghana.
