eu gh 2Mr William Hanna, Ambassador of the European Union in Ghana said on 10 February 2016 that the EU will work with stakeholders, especially central and local authorities and civil society to regulate the migration phenomenon to avoid unnecessary deaths and suffering. He said the EU will also help create alternatives to emigration for the young generation.

He was delivering a speech at the launch of the Migration Information Centre (MIC) in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo Region. He was accompanied by EU Member States Representatives from Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Also at the launch event were officials of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and the Regional Coordinating Council of in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The MIC is part of an effort to promote safe and legal migration. The construction of the Centre was funded by the European Union (EU) through the Ghana Integrated Migration Management Approach (GIMMA) project.

eu ghThe Centre will use information materials and counselling to promote safe migration and deter migrants from considering irregular migration options and fraudulent jobs offered by human smugglers and traffickers. The Centre is managed by the Ghana Immigration Service and open to the public from 8.30 am to 17.00 pm, Mondays to Fridays. Counselling and services are free of charge and are provided either as one on one interaction, per email or over the phone.

Ambassador Hanna observed that migration is a global phenomenon with global causes and consequences. “To manage migration a worldwide debate is needed, as we saw at Valletta a few weeks ago, but local initiatives like this one in Sunyani are equally important.”

Source: European Union in Ghana