EU and IOM train immigration officers in ICT on illigal migration
THE Bono Regional Command of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has said the incessant travels of youth in the Ahafo, Bono and Bono East regions to Europe through Libya in North Africa is reducing.
Every year countless number of people, mostly youth, from that part of the country embark on the dangerous journey through the Sahara Desert to Libya with the hope of crossing the Mediterranean to Europe to seek greener pastures.
Some become successful but others are unlucky as they die during the perilous long journey.
According to the GIS Commander of Bono Region, Deputy Commoner Eric Afari, they have been embarking on massive campaigns to explain the dangers of such journeys to the people through their Migration Information Centre (MIC) and it is beginning to sink in.
He said the GIS was collaborating with the European Union (EU), International Organization for Migration (IOM), to get the youth to understand the implications of their actions.
Speaking during a three days training to create awareness and to tap information technology to combat illegal migration, Mr. Afari said the number of Libyan migrant returnees had reduced from 18,512 in 2011 to 4,031 in 2017 and dropped further to 741 in 2018.
“It is significant to note that 52% of the returners came from the three regions of Brong Ahafo. This figure reduced to 39 per cent (1,562) in 2017.”
He further pleaded with the youth in the region to stay home and embark on agriculture and other employment opportunities created by the government.
He asked residents who wanted to travel abroad legally to approach the centre and equip themselves with relevant information about their destination and acquire relevant travel documents before embarking on such journeys.
From Daniel Yao Dayee, Sunyani