Nearly 937 out of 1,723 Ghanaians who returned to the country in 2024 received direct economic assistance from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Ghana, aimed at helping them rebuild their livelihoods and achieve financial stability.
According to the IOM Ghana 2024 Annual Overview of Returns and Reintegration Report, the beneficiaries were provided with vocational tools, start-up equipment, and materials to help them launch small businesses and generate income sustainably.
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Psychosocial and social support
The report further revealed that:
- 630 returnees benefited from psychosocial support, including counselling, trauma healing, and community-based therapy programmes to ease their transition back home.
- 73 vulnerable returnees received social assistance such as temporary accommodation, access to health care, educational support for children, and referrals to welfare institutions.
Overall, IOM Ghana conducted 1,222 reintegration activities ranging from business support and counselling to skills development, using the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) and Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) frameworks to ensure dignified and sustainable returns.
Addressing irregular migration
During a capacity-building workshop for journalists in northern Ghana, IOM raised concerns about the persistently high levels of irregular migration. The organisation stressed the importance of using safe and legal migration pathways to protect the dignity and well-being of migrants.
The training, held under the ATUU – Ghanaian-European Safe and Prosperous People’s Mobility Project, emphasised ethical, accurate, and human-centred reporting on migration issues.
Why people migrate
Referencing the IOM report, Dr Stephen Tindi of UNiMAC highlighted key drivers behind migration:
- 60% of returnees migrated in search of better job opportunities.
- 51% cited unstable living conditions.
- 49% left Ghana due to unemployment.
