Interior Minister Ambrose Dery has called on the academia to extend their expertise to the ministry in order to improve migration and security issues in the country.
According to the sector minister, it is high time all stakeholders played their part in ensuring the security of citizens while enabling safe and proper migration.
“Professors and lectures do not use only the halls and the media, come to the ministry for discussions,” he said.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 10th anniversary conference of the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana (UG) themed: ‘Migration, Security and Development’.
Touching on the theme for the conference, Mr Dery explained that the benefits of the free movement of persons’ regime are enormous, including improvements in tourism, skills and capacities of persons in the region.
He, however, added that despite the enormous gains from the activity of migration, one should also not lose sight of the fact that it brings in its wake, challenges which require effective border management.
“The porous borders of the Africa continent call for a standardised screening, registration and document issuance mechanism, which adheres to international standards and best practices such as readable biometric passports, biometric national identity cards and credible birth and death registration,” he added.
He, thus, stated that to ensure the security of all, the Ghana Immigration Act has been passed to allow officers at the borders to acquire weapons to protect all persons.
Professor Takyiwaa Manuh, former Director, Social Development Policy Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, in her key note address, gave a strong migration paradox where those who keep the economy going through migration are treated badly, while others who are in the middle class are accepted when they migrate.
She said for migration to be safe and foster development, the symptoms of what spur desperate migration like poverty must be addressed.
Dr Joseph Teye, Director of the Centre for Migration Studies, said the centre has made significant strides in teaching, research and extension.
He hinted that the centre currently runs three fee paying postgraduate programmes, namely MA, MPhil and PhD in Migration Studies.
“Since 2010 when CMS started admitting students, 115 MA/MPhil students and seven PhD students have graduated. Currently, there are 43 MA/MPhil students and 24 PhD students studying at the centre,” he said.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charles Owiredu, in his remarks commended the work done so far at the centre with regards to policies on migration.
He also pledged his ministry’s support to the centre.
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