Refugee Board (Ghana)
Encyclopedia
The Ghana
Refugee Board was established under the Ghana Refugee Law 1992 (PNDCL 305D), and is charged with the management of activities relating to refugee
s in the country. It is under the control of the Ministry of the Interior
.
When refugees arrive in the Ghana, it is the Refugee Board's responsibility to ensure their wellbeing, as per its mandate. The board also cooperates with other agencies to carry out its mandate, as it did in March 2011 faced with an influx of refugees from Côte d'Ivoire
(Ivory Coast), who had fled during the Second Ivorian Civil War
. The board partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) and other state agencies such as National Disaster Management Organization
(NADMO) to assist these refugees.
of Ghana is home to over 11,000 Liberian
refugees. These refugees have lived in the camp for over two decade
s since they fled the civil war in that country
. In 2008, about 500 Liberian refugees in the camp embarked on an "indefinite sit-down strike
". This was to draw attention to the perceived unsatisfactory arrangements to have them repatriated to Liberia in that year. Of the 11,000 Liberian refugees, only 198 have accepted repatriation back to Liberia as of 2008.
The refugees are requesting resettlement in another country, but the Refugee Board maintains that no country is willing to accept them. The Refugee Board has now prepared plans for integrating in Ghana those refugees who are not repatriated, a move which is being strongly opposed by the refugees.
entered Ghana. In total, some 116,000 Ivorians fled to eight West African countries after a major post-election crisis started. These countries included Ghana, Mali
, Burkina Faso
, Guinea
, Liberia
, Togo
, Benin
and Nigeria
. Ghana received 3,129 new refugees, mainly from the Ivorian capital of Abidjan
and its suburbs. UNHCR set up a transit centre at the Elubo
border crossing.
The Refugee Board partnered with the UNHCR and Ghanaian state agencies such as NADMO to assist these refugees. After the setting up of the transit centre, the Refugee Board is looking for land to convert into a temporary shelter for the refugees, ahead of building a more permanent place in the Elembelle constituency
. The UNHCR also set up a refugee camp in the town of Ampain that could hold 3,000 people.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
Refugee Board was established under the Ghana Refugee Law 1992 (PNDCL 305D), and is charged with the management of activities relating to refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s in the country. It is under the control of the Ministry of the Interior
Ministry of Interior (Ghana)
The Ministry of the Interior is a ministry of the government of Ghana mandated to ensure internal security, as well as the maintenance of law and order in the country...
.
Functions of the board
The main preoccupation of the Refugee Board is with refugees. Its functions include:- interviewing individuals seeking refugee status
- granting refugee status to asylum seekers from areas of civil conflict or places where they face political persecution.
- oversight over all refugee campRefugee campA refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s in the country.
When refugees arrive in the Ghana, it is the Refugee Board's responsibility to ensure their wellbeing, as per its mandate. The board also cooperates with other agencies to carry out its mandate, as it did in March 2011 faced with an influx of refugees from Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
(Ivory Coast), who had fled during the Second Ivorian Civil War
Second Ivorian Civil War
The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2000, and supporters of the internationally recognised president-elect Alassane Ouattara...
. The board partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR) and other state agencies such as National Disaster Management Organization
National Disaster Management Organization
The National Disaster Management Organisation is the government agency that is responsible for the management of disasters as well as other emergencies in Ghana. The board operates under Ghana's Ministry of Interior.-History:...
(NADMO) to assist these refugees.
Head of the board
The head of the Refugee Board is Chairman Kenneth Dzirasah. Dzirasah was the Former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and succeeded Emmanuel Owusu Bentil.Liberian refugees
The Budumburam Camp in the Central RegionCentral Region (Ghana)
The Central Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It is bordered by the Ashanti and Eastern regions to the north, Western region to the west, Greater Accra region to the east, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean.-Districts:...
of Ghana is home to over 11,000 Liberian
Liberian
Liberian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Liberia, a country on the west coast of Africa.* A person from Liberia, or of Liberian descent. For information about the Liberian people, see Demographics of Liberia and Culture of Liberia. For specific persons, see List of Liberians.* Note...
refugees. These refugees have lived in the camp for over two decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
s since they fled the civil war in that country
Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War was an internal conflict in Liberia running from 1989 until 1996. The conflict killed over 200,000 people and eventually led to the involvement the Economic Community of West African States and of the United Nations...
. In 2008, about 500 Liberian refugees in the camp embarked on an "indefinite sit-down strike
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
". This was to draw attention to the perceived unsatisfactory arrangements to have them repatriated to Liberia in that year. Of the 11,000 Liberian refugees, only 198 have accepted repatriation back to Liberia as of 2008.
The refugees are requesting resettlement in another country, but the Refugee Board maintains that no country is willing to accept them. The Refugee Board has now prepared plans for integrating in Ghana those refugees who are not repatriated, a move which is being strongly opposed by the refugees.
Refugees from Côte d'Ivoire
In March 2011, refugees fleeing the fighting in the Second Ivorian Civil WarSecond Ivorian Civil War
The Second Ivorian Civil War broke out in March 2011 when the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire escalated into full-scale military conflict between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the President of Côte d'Ivoire since 2000, and supporters of the internationally recognised president-elect Alassane Ouattara...
entered Ghana. In total, some 116,000 Ivorians fled to eight West African countries after a major post-election crisis started. These countries included Ghana, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Ghana received 3,129 new refugees, mainly from the Ivorian capital of Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
and its suburbs. UNHCR set up a transit centre at the Elubo
Elubo
Elubo is a town in western Ghana almost on the border with Ivory Coast. It lies some distance from the coast.- External links :*...
border crossing.
The Refugee Board partnered with the UNHCR and Ghanaian state agencies such as NADMO to assist these refugees. After the setting up of the transit centre, the Refugee Board is looking for land to convert into a temporary shelter for the refugees, ahead of building a more permanent place in the Elembelle constituency
Ellembelle (Ghana parliament constituency)
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah is the member of parliament for the constituency. He was elected on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress won a majority of 1,649 votes to become the MP. He took over from Frederick Worsemao Armah Blay who had represented the constituency on the ticket of the...
. The UNHCR also set up a refugee camp in the town of Ampain that could hold 3,000 people.