Abstract:
Globally refugee integration has been one of the three durable solutions that has been used worldwide. Millions of refugees around the world live year after year with little hope of ever returning home. Some cannot because their countries are engulfed by endless conflict or because they fear persecution if they were to return. In cases where repatriation is not an option, finding a home in the country of asylum and integrating into the local community could offer a durable solution to their plight and the chance to build a new life. This study examined the socio-cultural and economic factors affecting integration of former Liberian refugees in Ghana. The specific objectives were to examine the demographic characteristics of L.I applicants and how it affected their integration processes, economic and socio-cultural factors effect on L.I applicants as well as how GRB and UNHCR approach towards integration of refugees in Ghana. The research employed a mixed methods approach with a sample size of seventy (70) respondents for quantitative and eight (8) in-depth interviews consisting of four (4) LI applicants and relevant organizations including GRB, UNHCR, GIS and NADMO (Camp Management) for the qualitative. The concepts of social, cultural and economic integration were used for the conceptual framing of the work. Among the key findings of the study were that; first, 48.6% of the respondents opted to stay in Ghana because of physical security, two-fifth of them (40.0%) used the money received as part of the LI package to pay school fees. The main economic factors affecting the integration of the LI applicants is high standard of living and difficulty in getting access to job opportunities in Ghana. Socio-culturally, more than half (61.4%) of the respondents could not speak any Ghanaian language, which is vital to the integration process, but overwhelming majority (91.4%) responded yes to enjoying Ghanaian food. Again, close to three-quarters (71.4%) mentioned that they belong to a religious group. The study concluded that, support from GRB and UNHCR and some state organizations aided in the integration process through skills training, facilitation of legal documents as well as community integration. It is recommended that, access to social services, acquisition of resources should be made available and accessible to L.I applicants to ensure fairness and balance in acquiring resources. Since issues surrounding local integration are complex in nature, such processes should start from the time the country (Ghana) opens its borders to refugees in order to avoid possible problems at the end of the refugee cycle.
