It has just recently been reported that the West African nation of Ghana is housing an estimated 10,000 refugees.
The country which is currently facing a potential economic collapse is still a safe haven for displaced citizens of Togo, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Cameroon. Read Story here.
Esther Kurugu, Ghana’s representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, disclosed that the figures reduced from 17,000 to 10,000 following the exit of 7,000 Ivorian refugees.
The representatives made the announcement Thursday (October 20, 2022) at a Fundraising Breakfast Meeting organized by the Rotary Club of Accra-Airport.
The meeting was held at the Lancaster Hotel in Accra and was themed Arise For Polio. As the theme implies, it was a fundraiser for the PolioPlus Fund which provides polio vaccines, mobilizes community resources, and supports operational costs related to international efforts to immunise children, detect and track cases, and eradicate polio worldwide.
During the meeting, she commended the administration and past administrations for their efforts in creating safe spaces for these refugees. She noted that the country has a history of housing refugees and making sure that they are protected and free from discrimination until they are able to return to their home countries.
“Peace and stability are prerequisites to enable the realization of these goals. The existence of refugees is an indicator that all is not well. We have a lot of work to do but we cannot tire because it is about us – humans – and no one is safe until we are all safe,” She said.
Speaking on the vaccine issue, she commented, “We salute you all. We now know that some 2.6 billion dollars were raised at the recent World Health Summit, and we hope that trajectory is maintained to fund the GPE Initiative 2022 – 26 Strategy. Clearly, as we have been taught by the experience of COVID-19, no one is safe until everyone is safe. And this underlines the importance of what you are doing, and it is an honor to be associated with your work.”