CSOs Call for National Migration Commission and Stronger Protection for Migrant Workers

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Migration in Ghana (CCMG) is calling for the establishment of a National Migration Commission as a permanent legal institution to strengthen migration governance in the country.

The call forms part of key recommendations contained in a communiqué issued after a two-day National Stakeholder Forum on “Strategizing Post-2026 International Migration Review Forum (IMRF)”, held from July 22 to 23, 2026, at Legon, Accra.

The forum, convened by the CCMG, brought together representatives from government ministries, departments and agencies led by the Ministry of the Interior, academia, civil society, development partners and international organisations, including the Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA), GIZ Ghana, the European Union and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The forum reviewed Ghana’s participation in the Second International Migration Review Forum held in May 2026 in New York and examined ways to translate global migration commitments into concrete national action.

The participants acknowledged human mobility as a key driver of Ghana’s economic development, climate resilience, labour markets and regional security.

They also reaffirmed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) as an important framework for rights-based migration governance.

Protect migrant workers

The coalition called for stronger protection for migrant workers through consolidated standard operating procedures, improved regulation of private recruitment agencies and mandatory pre-departure and post-arrival orientations.

It said recruitment systems must be transparent and should eliminate exploitation and excessive recruitment costs imposed on workers.

The CCMG also called for increased public education on regular migration pathways and the development of continental qualification frameworks to ensure that skills and professional credentials are recognised across African borders.

It further recommended that social security transferability be incorporated into Bilateral Labour Agreements to protect the pensions and benefits of migrant workers.

Improve return and reintegration

On return and reintegration, the coalition proposed differentiated support for four categories of returnees: highly skilled returnees, low- to medium-skilled returnees, vulnerable or distressed returnees, and historical returnees.

It recommended investment facilitation and business incubation for highly skilled returnees, while low- and medium-skilled returnees should receive vocational skills matching, certification recognition, employment support and access to funding.

For vulnerable and distressed returnees, the coalition called for immediate emergency assistance, psychosocial support, healthcare and community reintegration services.

The group also urged the government to move from donor-driven programmes towards stronger state ownership of return and reintegration initiatives.

Call for stronger border governance

The CCMG further called for the acceleration of Ghana’s ratification and domestication of the African Union Free Movement Protocol, arguing that African borders should increasingly serve as bridges for economic integration rather than barriers to mobility.

It also called for the review of national laws that may conflict with regional migration obligations, including provisions on recruitment fees and restrictions affecting ECOWAS citizens’ right of establishment.

The coalition urged authorities to strengthen the capacity of frontline immigration officers and improve cross-border coordination to address trafficking, insecurity and irregular migration without unnecessarily restricting legitimate human mobility.

Strengthen diaspora engagement

The communiqué also called for a review and implementation of Ghana’s Diaspora Engagement Policy to improve services and strengthen the rights and participation of Ghanaians living abroad.

The coalition wants diaspora engagement expanded to include student networks, second-generation diaspora youth and people of African descent with historical connections to Ghana.

It also proposed the establishment of a comprehensive database of the Ghanaian diaspora to support policy development and engagement.

The coalition called for the deployment of labour attachés to strategic Ghanaian missions in major destination countries to respond to migrant concerns and improve access to support services.

Increase funding for migration governance

On financing, the CCMG urged government to reduce dependence on donor funding by developing a dedicated national migration financing strategy and creating specific migration budget lines across relevant ministries.

It also called for the collection of better data on climate-induced and seasonal migration and the integration of climate mobility indicators into Ghana’s national statistical systems.

The coalition stressed the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, civil society organisations, traditional authorities and the private sector.

Government urged to act

The participants called on the Government, through the Ministry of the Interior, to lead the implementation of the recommendations and establish clear mechanisms for monitoring and tracking progress.

The coalition said such mechanisms are necessary to ensure that commitments made during the 2026 International Migration Review Forum translate into measurable improvements for migrants, returnees, Ghana’s diaspora and host communities.

The communiqué was issued in Accra on October 6, 2026, and signed by Eric Boakye Peasah, Convener of the Coalition of CSOs on Migration in Ghana.

story by: Mark Acheampong