CCMG calls for migration governance to be decentralised to district assemblies

Eric Boakye Peasah, National President of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Migration in Ghana (CCMG), called on the government to decentralise migration governance by empowering metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to manage migration-related issues within their jurisdictions. He argued that because foreign nationals are present in communities across the country, migration governance should no longer be handled primarily from the national level. Speaking to MyJoyOnline at the close of the two-day 2026 Post-International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) National Stakeholder Dialogue, organised by CCMG in partnership with GIZ and the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) at the University of Ghana, Mr. Boakye Peasah stated, "In reality, most migration activities, challenges and opportunities play out at the local level."

He further stated that a critical look at the issue would reveal that migration governance takes place more at the local level, and therefore, managing migration governance should also take place more within the districts. Mr. Boakye Peasah revealed that progress towards decentralising migration governance was already underway. According to him, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) this year introduced a policy requiring every district assembly to incorporate migration into its development agenda. He described this move as the "first step" towards effective decentralisation.