International cooperation required to tackle migration challenges – Swiss Ambassador

Simone Giger, the Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, has advocated for the adoption of a cross-country approach and partnership to address migration challenges.

She said the opportunities and challenges in migration differed from country to country and indicated that there could not be a “one-size-fits-all solution” to migration challenges.

Giger made the call when she opened a new Course on Migration Management at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) at Teshie, near Accra on Monday, January 23, 2023.

She said migration was a complex phenomenon with both positive and negative dimensions thus one country alone could not respond to the challenges and opportunities associated with it.

“Migration affects individual persons and also affects entire societies. So, governments and societies are consistently required to respond and keep up to the challenges and to the opportunities of migration.” Giger said.

She added: “Switzerland really encourages an international cross-country approach based on partnership and cooperation.”

The KAIPTC in partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration has developed the Migration Management Course as a platform for migration practitioners to discuss migration, its challenges and the way forward.

The course also seeks to develop action plans and policies to effectively manage the migration process.

About 30 participants, drawn from institutions and agencies that are directly involved in the handling of migration issues in selected countries such as Ghana, The Gambia, Senegal, and Ivory Coast, are participating in the Course.

The issues to be discussed include Human Rights Legal Framework on Migration; International Cooperation on Migration; Migration and Human Rights; Migration and Gender; Migration management and security governance, and Migration and Development.

Major General Richard Addo Gyane, Commandant, KAIPTC, said although migration could contribute to economic growth and human development, the process of migration had been characterised by abuse, discrimination and exploitation.

He said the lack of infrastructure, legal frameworks, and know-how undermined the ability of countries in the region to effectively manage safe and legal migration.

Maj. Gen. Gyane said the Course would equip participants with the knowledge, tools and skills to contribute to, and improve migration policies and migration management in Africa.

“We hope to deliver a training that seeks to provide answers to the challenges arising from Migration in the Region, expose participants to the legal frameworks, experiences and best practices to help manage migration issues as well as provide a safe place for discussion, brainstorming and open exchange of ideas,” he said.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in 2020, around 21 million Africans were living in another African country, a significant increase from 2015, when around 18 million Africans were estimated to be migrants or immigrants within the region.

The number of Africans living in different regions also grew during the same period, from around 17 million in 2015 to over 19.5 million in 2020.