GHANA: Bishops Urge Caritas to Curb Migration Crisis in Brong Ahafo Region

TECHIMAN, NOVEMBER 20, 2018 (CISA) – The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has directed Caritas Ghana to provide relief and other essential services to people migrating from Brong Ahafo region.

According to Ghana Immigration Service’s Report, out of 4092 Ghanaians who were repatriated from Libya in 2017, 1562 were from the region.

“We are saddened by the unfortunate loss of lives in the desert and the Mediterranean Sea of young men and women embarking on these perilous journeys,” said the bishops in a communiqué released November 16, at the end of their annual Plenary Assembly held at Our Lady of Calvary Pastoral and Social Centre in Techiman.

“We have instructed Caritas Ghana, our Development and Relief Organization, to prioritize actions to address this menace in the Brong Ahafo region and the entire country.”

“We share the anxieties of families who have lost contact with their relatives, who left for these journeys and pray for their safe return,” the communiqué reads.

The bishops encouraged the government “to endeavor to implement the National Migration Policy and to support the regional and international efforts towards addressing the issue of migration with a comprehensive Global Compact which is yet to be adopted.”

In their statement, they lauded the report by International Monetary Fund (IMF) which highlighted Ghana as one of the fastest growing economies in the world and further calling on the government to initiate measures to reduce the widening gap between the rich and poor.

They called upon President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to demonstrate his commitment in fighting corruption.

“The immorality of bribery and corruption which ignore the ethical code of religion is on the rise in our country. We call on the citizens at all levels of society, particularly people of faith, to eschew attitudes, behaviors and actions that support, encourage and condone bribery and corruption,” the bishops said.