Asylum seekers in Ghana are voicing frustration over their challenges in obtaining National Identification cards, which they say have imposed significant economic hardships by hindering their ability to secure employment and enhance their quality of life.
Refugees, speaking to Channel One News, lamented their exclusion, particularly in accessing citizenship and IDs in Ghana.
However, Chairman of the Ghana Refugee Board, Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, revealed that the issuance of non-citizen identification cards to refugees is currently underway.
“The issuance of the non-citizen ID cards to refugees is ongoing. It continues to ensure that refugees are included in socioeconomic and other related activities in the country.”
Executive Secretary of Ghana Refugee, Tetteh Paddie, highlighted insufficient funding for supporting refugees in the country and appealed to the private sector for assistance.
“The same donor who provides fund activities to maybe Europe are the same who provide funds for us here. A lot of them are diverting to what they consider as more emergencies; the Ukraine situation, the situation in Palestine and so UNHCR is finding it difficult to fund activities in this part of the world.”
A Liberian refugee in Ghana, Dr. Felix Hughes, proposed that stakeholders empower refugees with skills to enable them to prosper and thrive.
“There’s a drive, I mean the brain drive is there, it has been in Ghana for a while, but I think that if refugees are empowered, they are given skills, some of them, can do well to sustain themselves, I think they can be able to survive.”
Acting Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Andrews Ginsberg, urged stakeholders to facilitate the integration of refugees into Ghanaian society.