Contribute to stop illegal migration - James Hayford to Ghanaians

Chief Superintendent James Hayford Boadi, the Head of Migration Information Centre (MIC) in Sunyani has appealed to Ghanaians to contribute in various ways for the nation’s development to stop illegal migration.

He said the government alone could not shoulder the responsibility of developing the economy as the art of government revolved around generality of the citizenry, no individual must sit on the fence, but should assist to prevent illegal migration.

Chief Supt. Boadi made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a two-hour audio-visual presentation of a documentary on the hazardous and tortuous journeys by illegal migrants to seek greener pastures abroad on Thursday at Dormaa- Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The exercise was aimed at sensitising residents of Dormaa-Ahenkro and its environs on the dangers involved in illegal migrations and the need for them to tread cautiously on travelling abroad.

He said all assistance and contributions were necessary to increase productivity as that could lead to the growth and expansion of the economy to result in job and wealth creation.

He added that consequently individuals with the desire and zeal to embark on illegal migration, because of joblessness might get jobs to do and avoid dangerous trips.

Chief Supt. Boadi said the phenomenon of illegal migration had become a major global developmental issue that nations and governments were battling with and called on all to help to stop it.

Chief Supt. Boadi said in 2011, over 9,000 people representing over 52 per cent of 18,000 illegal migrants from Brong-Ahafo were repatriated from Libya to Ghana due to the political unrest and instability in that country.

"In 2017 some 3,283 migrants went missing on sea out of a total of 6,101 migrants who died on the sea, land and other ways worldwide and 938 migrants had gone missing this year (2018) on both land and sea, with 559 of them dying on the Mediterranean Sea", he added.

He advised the people to use the right and legal channels, processes and procedures to travel. "We are not saying you shouldn't travel. How you conduct yourself in the business of travelling is what matters the most", he added.