Mr. Thomas Broni, Deputy Minister for the Interior on Wednesday called on refugees at the Buduburam settlement to take advantage of the education and skills training being provided by the UNHCR and other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the area.
He also said the government would continue to honour all international conventions that ensure the rights of refugees in the country.He, therefore, called on the refugees to abide by all the laws and regulation in the country.
Mr Broni said this when the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) presented security equipment worth over 326 million cedis to the Buduburam Neighbourhood Watch Dog Team at a ceremony in Gomoa Buduburam in the Central Region.
The equipment includes overall uniforms, boots, truncheons, flashlights and batteries, bicycles, and fire extinguishers. The items are meant to facilitate night-patrols and also fight domestic fires at the camp.
He said the security concerns of the community must be the concern of all and called for the maximum co-operation of all at the settlement.Mr Broni said government was aware of the power, water and sanitation problems facing the settlement and assured them that they were being tackled with all the seriousness it deserves.
He said the donation has come at a good time as we are entering the Christmas festivities.Mr. Thomas Albrecht, UNHCR Representative in Ghana said the initiative by the NWDT emanated from the refugee community in the mid-2002 and was encouraged by the settlement management and the police for crime prevention at the camp.
He said the UNHCR together with its partners was building a two-storey extension of the clinic to provide enhanced medical services and respond to other emergencies from the Buduburam camp and the surrounding villages.
He said the UNHCR together with the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was discussing the upgrading of the police station at the camp to a district level and the establishment of satellite posts in some locations in the area."This, together with an increase in the number of police personnel would provide better services and in particular allow for joint patrols with the neighbourhood watch dog team, especially at night time", he said. Mr. Albrecht said joint training of the police and the team would facilitate the important role that they have in the settlement in preserving a well-protected environment.
