The Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) has called for increased support from development partners, humanitarian organisations and philanthropists to sustain refugee welfare programmes in the country, citing declining international funding and rising humanitarian needs.
The appeal was made as Ghana joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Refugee Day 2026, observed annually on June 20 to honour the resilience of refugees and asylum seekers forced to flee their home countries due to conflict or persecution.
This year’s commemoration in Ghana was held under the global theme: ‘Until Everyone is Safe,’ aimed at promoting safety and protection for all displaced persons.
Speaking at the event in Accra, the Chairman of the GRB, Mr Joseph Azumah, indicated that the world was experiencing one of the largest displacement crises in history.
He explained that more than 132 million people had been forcibly displaced globally as a result of conflict, persecution, violence, human rights abuses and climate-related disasters.
He further noted that nearly 40 per cent of the displaced population were children, whose education and future prospects had been disrupted by circumstances beyond their control.
He emphasised that behind the statistics were real human stories marked by resilience, sacrifice and hope, adding that refugees were individuals compelled to flee their homes in search of safety and dignity.
Mr Azumah pointed out that Africa continued to bear a significant share of the global refugee burden due to ongoing conflicts in countries such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and parts of the Sahel region.
Despite its own developmental challenges, he stated that Ghana had maintained a proud tradition of offering protection to people fleeing conflict and insecurity.
He also urged the public to reject misconceptions about refugees, describing them as hardworking individuals with valuable talents and skills who could contribute meaningfully to society.
He explained that refugees included teachers, healthcare workers, artisans and entrepreneurs, and should not be seen as a burden but as people with the potential to contribute to national development when given the opportunity.
The Executive Secretary of the GRB, Nana Asare Bediako, disclosed that Ghana was currently hosting about 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with approximately 21,000 registered.
He indicated that the growing refugee population, coupled with dwindling donor support, was placing considerable pressure on available resources.
He explained that refugee protection required sustained investment in shelter, education, healthcare and livelihoods, adding that many refugees, particularly those from Burkina Faso, possessed skills that could support national development if properly harnessed.
Mr Bediako expressed concern over significant reductions in funding from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which had previously provided about 90 per cent of support for refugee programmes in Ghana.
He noted that the cuts had adversely affected education, supplementary feeding, water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as other welfare interventions.
He, however, commended the government, particularly the Ministry of the Interior, for its continued support and commitment to refugee protection.
To promote self-reliance among refugees, Mr Bediako stated that the GRB had initiated the Ghana Refugee Agricultural Business Sustainability (GRABS) Project, aimed at supporting both refugees and host communities through agriculture.
He explained that the initiative had secured thousands of acres of land through collaboration with chiefs and traditional authorities, enabling refugees and local residents to engage in farming together.
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African leaders urged to strengthen governance systems
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
African leaders have been urged to build strong governance ecosystems capable of driving sustainable development across the continent.
Professor Thomas Kwasi Teiku of the Department of Politics and International Relations at King’s Western University, Canada, made the call, stressing that such systems should promote institutional interdependence and reorient governance structures to prioritise equity, inclusion and foresight analysis.
He further emphasised the need to establish institutions dedicated to addressing intergenerational gaps at the local, national, regional, continental and global levels, as part of efforts to promote sustainable governance.
Prof. Teiku made these remarks at a conference held at the University of Ghana (UG), Legon, in Accra yesterday, to mark the end of the six-year main funding phase of the Sustainable Governance research programme of the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA).
The three-day conference, on the theme: ‘Transitions: Past, Present and Future of Sustainable Governance in Africa,’ brought together current and former fellows of the institute, as well as academics, scholars and researchers.
It also formed part of UG’s 2026 Day of Scientific Renaissance of Africa and featured panel and roundtable discussions on sustainable democracy, sustainability transformation and sustainable peace.
Prof. Teiku observed that the inability of many African countries to effectively address conflicts largely stemmed from the absence of strong governance ecosystems across all levels.
He noted that although African societies had invested significant political, financial, diplomatic and intellectual resources into building peace including the establishment of military, intelligence, police and judicial systems, as well as constitutions and electoral frameworks violence remained prevalent.
He added that beyond physical violence, other forms such as symbolic and structural violence continued to persist in various forms.
Prof. Teiku cited youth unemployment, poverty and inequitable distribution of resources as examples, describing them as a “lifetime war” that the continent must confront.
According to him, a sustainable governance ecosystem required mutually reinforcing institutions operating across five levels local, state, regional, continental and global working in close collaboration rather than in isolation.
The German Deputy Ambassador, Ms Sivine Jansen, also indicated that international discourse on Africa had long been shaped by questions of whose voices were heard and who defined key concepts.
She noted that MIASA had sought to challenge that narrative by creating a platform for knowledge production based on equitable partnerships with African scholars and institutions.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, in a speech read on her behalf by the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Professor Alfred Edwin Yawson, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with MIASA and similar institutions.
She indicated that such collaborations would help shape both public and international discourse through advanced research.
In her welcome address, the MIASA Director (Ghana) and Associate Professor of Language and Gender at UG, Prof. Grace Diabah, urged participants to actively engage in the conference and contribute meaningfully to discussions.
BY ESINAM JEMIMA KUATSINU