Promoting Regular Labour Migration in Ghana: A Case of the Ghanaian-European Centre

Abstract

Labour migration has been a topical issue in Ghana just as in many parts of the world. Considering the impact of labour migration on the lives of the migrants and their families as well as the community and the state, it has become very necessary that the state put out measures to promote safe and regular migration. This study sought to identify the contribution of the Ghanaian-European Centre in the promotion of regular labour migration in Ghana. Generally, the research sought to study the contribution of the Ghanaian-European Centre in promoting regular labour migration in Ghana. Qualitative approach was used in this study. Three sets of respondents were interviewed. These respondents included employees of the Ghanaian-European Centre, individual beneficiaries of the services of the Ghanaian-European Centre and Senior Officers of the Labour Department. The Labour Department is a major beneficiary of the GEC- Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations partnership. Through thematic analysis, the qualitative data generated was analyzed. The findings from the study indicated that the GEC is involved in the provision of a comprehensive services which affects every aspect of the migration process (i.e. pre-departure, departure, settlement at destination and return and reintegration). It was found out that the Centre provides person centred pre departure counselling for prospective labour migrant, public awareness creation and sensitization on regular migration pathways, skills training and capacity building for returned migrants and collaborating institutions. All these combine to address key challenges in the labour migration management landscape in Ghana. Despite all the laudable efforts of the Centre to promoting regular labour migration, the Centre faces some pressing challenges which mitigate against its smooth and effective operations. This include bureaucratic bottlenecks, skills mismatch among others. The study concluded that the GEC continues to shape migration and the national migration discourse by bringing together all stakeholders, engaging them on key policy issues and building their capacities to use modern trends to handle migration related concerns. The study made several recommendations such as the GEC advocating for the establishment of work Programme that will recognize the skills set and experiences of Ghanaian Labour migrants as well as ensuring the protection of Ghanaian migrants at the European Destinations.