As part of IOM’s Voluntary Humanitarian Return Assistance Programme, this support is made possible thanks to the Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa (MPRR-SSA) funded by the European Union.

In 2023 alone, IOM supported the safe return of 629 Ghanaians (555 men, 58 women and 16 children) via four charter flights from Libya.

“IOM works closely with the Government of Ghana and other partners as well as with communities to assist returning migrants to reintegrate sustainably, restart their lives and mitigate drivers of irregular migration. We are proud to have supported 5143 Ghanaians (4449 men, 715 women) who have voluntarily returned under the programme since 2017,” said IOM Ghana Chief of Mission, Ms. Fatou Diallo Ndiaye.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Port Health, National Investigation Bureau (NIB) and Ghana Police Service (GPS) played their respective roles to ensure a smooth arrival process for the migrants at Kotoka International Airport in Accra.

Importantly, trained staff from IOM, Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) provided psychological first aid and mental health screenings to assess the need for further assistance and possible referrals.

The migrants were excited to be greeted by Kofi Kinaata, who took the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment as IOM Ghana Goodwill Ambassador.

“I know returning home can be difficult. Therefore, I tried to provide the migrants who returned today with words of encouragement, to motivate them to explore opportunities at home, and travel safely in the future.” said Kofi Kinaata.

He added: “I will continue to use my music to reach young people who might not have access to accurate information about migration.”

Among the returnees were 21 migrants with moderate medical conditions. Included were two wheelchair bound persons and one man suffering from blindness.

IOM Libya provided the individuals with necessary treatment prior to departure and medical escorts onboard the flight, as well as medication.

After their health screenings, IOM Ghana referred the migrants to medical facilities in their respective regions; GHS will continue to offer medical assistance moving forward with IOM’s support.

IOM’s assistance also included the provision of food, water, hygiene kits, cash for immediate needs, and onward transportation to the main areas of return including Dormaa, Kintampo, Kumasi, and within Accra.

Going forward, IOM and partners will support the migrants to develop comprehensive reintegration plans involving economic, social and psychosocial needs, which may also include identifying income-generating activities, housing, education, or training to develop businesses and vocational skills.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Embassy in Tripoli, Libya and the IOM in October last year facilitated the repatriation of the fourth batch of 169 Ghanaians from Tripoli to Accra under the Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme for the year 2023.

A third batch of returnees of 134 Ghanaian nationals were repatriated from the city of Misrata, voluntarily to Ghana, on 10th October, 2023 under the same program.

This brings the total number of Ghanaian nationals who had benefitted from the VHR programme in 2023 to 629.

Priority was given to persons in detention centres, sick persons, families with children, stranded persons and destitutes who needed assistance to return to Ghana.