The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has held an employment and entrepreneurship forum in Accra to discuss sustainable ways to provide economic and social ways to include refugees in the development agenda of Ghana.

Apart from the employment agenda, the forum is being held to create awareness on refugees, advocate for hiring of refugees and promote potential engagements with stakeholders on their employability and more.

Speaking at the forum, Ms. Christiana Badoo, Livelihood Advocate at UNHCR said that main conditions affecting the employability of refugees in Ghana include the inability to find employment despite possessing the needed skills, having the entrepreneurial skills but requiring funding and possessing the required skills but requiring a certain level of development.

She disclosed that the UNCHR is spearheading the Global Compact to support refugees in order for them to have a positive effect in their host countries. The Global Compact also calls for equitable responsibility sharing through cooperation.

She noted that it is essential because it will help to reduce pressure on host countries and enhance refugee self-reliance among others.
Ms. Badoo called on the private sector to advocate for employment of refugees and also invest in them. She urged government to help establish policies that will provide the needed environment for refugees in the world of work.

There are about 13, 438 people of concern and asylum seekers from about 34 countries  in Ghana according to Mr Tetteh Padi, Program Coordinator at UNHCR, with about 8.331 of these refugees residing in camps and 5,107 living outside the camps.

The Ghana Refugee Board he said, helps refugees among other things obtain work permits. He said that Ghana's refugee law allows for refugees to work and move about freely in the country. Unfortunately, between 2016 and 2018 only 27 work permits have been issued to refugees with none being issued  currently, a situation he says is a s a result of a confusion in the interpretation of the law.

Pointing out the challenges currently facing these refugees, M Padi said that the delay in the determination of refugee status, the difficulty in opening bank accounts due to absence of forms of identification, difficulty in obtaining visas to travel and inability to receive remittances  affect their livelihood and chances of finding employment in Ghana.  Other factors such as swoops by the Ghana Immigration Service and language barrier also  affect them.

He noted that the Ghana Refugee Board has developed Jobs Solutions Strategy to aid host communities and refugees in providing livelihood assistance. The Specialized Economic Zones are being set up in collaboration with the  Free Zones Board and will seek funding from the World Bank.
They are also working to help them get Identification that will aid them find employment.

Ms. Esther Kiragu, Country Representative for UNHCR said that the status of refugee is not a choice adding that every human being is obligated to aid others in need. She said Ghana is a member of the Organisation Of African Union (OAU) and therefore obligated to offer assistance to refugees.

She said that there are currently about 70 million people displaced with about 25.9 million fleeing across international borders.
The highest number are however those who are internally displaced.

She said that the unprecedented number of displaced people is affecting the method of aid being offered to refuges "the initial provisions are no longer sustainable" she stated.

She urged recognizing and offering sustainable support so these refugees can provide for themselves as they could have done in their countries of origin She called for inclusion of refugees in the various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Ghana Immigration Service said employers will be sensitized on employing refugees when it comes to filling out documentation as there is a misunderstanding on the part of employers in disclosing certain information. The GIS also said that refugees requesting for work permits from the Interior Ministry (Immigration Quota Committee) can request for work permits on Gratis basis in order to find work and pay the relevant fees later.

The forum was attended by staff from UNHCR, International Organization for Migration (IOM), The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Ghana Immigration Service, and other government and private institutions.

During a plenary session the AGI Accra Chairman, Mr Tsonam Akpeloo said that aside setting up infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, the relevant stakeholders also need to set up industrial facilities that can provide skills training . He pledged to assist in helping to enrol some of these refugees in National Vocational Training Institutes and some universities such as the Methodist University and the University of Ghana.