Ghana has taken a significant step towards advancing the African Union’s vision of continental integration by hosting a two-day National Dialogue on the African Union Free Movement of Persons Protocol, in Accra.
Participating in the dialogue are representatives from various stakeholders, including the African Union, ECOWAS Commission, GIZ Ghana, ICMPD, and IOM Ghana, alongside members of the CSOs Coalition on Migration Ghana and other state institutions.
Delivering the keynote address, the Deputy Minister for the Interior, Hon. Ebenezer Okletey Terlarbi, highlighted the complexity of migration flows across Africa, driven by economic opportunities, social connections, environmental stress, conflict, and trade routes. He stressed the need for effective migration governance to ensure sustainable and humane movement, noting that intra-African migration far exceeds migration beyond the continent.
Hon. Okletey Terlarbi highlighted Ghana’s recent implementation of a visa-free policy for all African passport holders as a step toward fostering closer ties across the continent. He emphasized that enhanced mobility would facilitate the exchange of skills, boost intra-African trade, and strengthen people-to-people connections, laying the foundation for a truly integrated African community.
Acknowledging potential challenges, including policy inconsistencies, infrastructural limitations, administrative bottlenecks, and security concerns, the Deputy Minister called for coordinated collective action to address these issues. He urged participants to renew their commitment to accelerating the protocol’s ratification and domestication, emphasizing its role in promoting sustainable development and Pan-African ideals.
The dialogue aims to produce concrete outcomes to guide Ghana’s next steps towards ratifying the protocol, contributing to the African Union’s vision of a united and prosperous Africa
