Tetteh Padi
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Ghana operation has organised the Ghana Refugee Agribusiness and Sustainability (GRASP) Public–Private Sector Dialogue in Accra on April 9, 2026.
The Dialogue saw over 50 participants, including more than 30 private sector companies and investment partners coming together to explore investment opportunities aimed at improving livelihoods for refugees and host communities in northern part of the country.
It focused on mobilising private sector engagement in agriculture through GRASP, which is a joint initiative that connects refugee inclusion with national development priorities and positions agribusiness as a pathway to economic opportunity, self-reliance, and resilience
The Head of UNHCR Ghana, Tetteh Padi, stressed the importance of creating sustainable opportunities for displaced persons.
“Refugee inclusion is fundamentally about enabling people to rebuild their lives with dignity. Through initiatives such as GRASP, we are working with government and private sector partners to ensure that refugees and host communities can access livelihoods, participate in the economy, and contribute to shared growth,” he said.
The release noted that since 2022, Ghana has received over 30,000 asylum seekers, most of whom have settled in rural northern communities, increasing pressure on local resources and underscoring the need for long-term solutions.
The Chief of Private Sector Partnerships for Africa at UNHCR, Nancy Aburi, also indicated that the growing nature of displacement across Africa demands new approaches.
“Across Africa, we increasingly experience protracted displacement. Our response is evolving accordingly. This partnership demonstrates how an engaged private sector can integrate refugees into agribusiness value chains, contributing towards thriving economies and communities,” she said.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of the Ghana Refugee Board, speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Nana Asare Bediako, said integrating refugee-hosting areas into broader economic planning was important.
“Through GRASP and its integration into the Feed Ghana Programme, refugee-hosting areas are being positioned within our broader economic planning, linking livelihoods, markets and investment to regions where both refugees and host communities are building their futures,” he noted.
Programmes Manager for KGL Foundation, Nii Annorbah-Sarpei, pointed to the potential for investments and highlighted opportunities across agricultural value chains, including production, processing and market access.
“We see strong potential to engage across agricultural value chains from production to processing and market access. GRASP brings together the partnerships, coordination and structure that allow businesses to participate in ways that are practical, scalable and aligned with long-term growth,” he noted.
The release explained that the Dialogue forms part of efforts to deepen collaboration between government, private sector and development partners to expand livelihoods, strengthen value chains and boost investment in refugee-hosting communities.
By Vera Owusu Sarpong