The government has provided a GH¢5,500 support package for each Ghanaian evacuated from South Africa as part of efforts to facilitate dignified return and reintegration.
Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Accra, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that the package includes free National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registration, relief supplies from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), a GH¢500 travel and transport allowance, and a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant.
Mr. Ablakwa stated that corporate organisations and charitable Ghanaians, such as businessman Ibrahim Mahama, had contributed to the evacuation exercise alongside the government and that the government will give a detailed account of it once it was over.
Nearly 2,000 Ghanaians will be evacuated over the course of the two phases, according to the minister, with 926 returning in the first phase and an estimated 1,000 in the second.
He said that the government was also implementing reintegration initiatives, including as employment, skill development, and assistance for entrepreneurs.
Mr. Ablakwa claims that all returnees will be registered in a unique national database that will link them to job openings, entrepreneurial assistance, skill development, and start-up projects.
According to him, over 200 employment have already been obtained through collaborations with the private sector, including 100 posts committed by Engineers and Planners Limited, as well as chances from Telecel Ghana, AirtelTigo, and other businesses.
“Government believes strongly that no Ghanaian returning home under distressing circumstances should feel abandoned or excluded from national support systems,” the minister stated.
Mr. Ablakwa noted that a special helpline had been set up, and social workers would follow up with returnees for six months to support their mental health.
To counteract the stigmatisation of returnees, the government also intends to launch a public awareness campaign.
In order to pursue legal and diplomatic procedures for compensation for returnees who lost businesses and property during the xenophobic attacks, the minister also revealed that the government was creating a register of claims.
In terms of diplomacy, Mr. Ablakwa stated that Ghana had asked the African Union to take immediate action against persistent acts of xenophobia directed toward Ghanaians and other Africans.
“Ghana believes that the best way to address this matter is not to look away and pretend nothing serious is happening, but to bring it into the open and have an honest discussion on this concern and how best to address it,” he stated.
He stated that despite the postponement of the Eighth AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, Ghana had persisted in the appeal and obtained the support of the ECOWAS Heads of State to address the issue at the subsequent AU meeting.
The petition was “not intended to single out South Africa, but to encourage a collective continental response” to defend the rights and dignity of African residents, Mr. Ablakwa emphasised.
Source: newsthemegh.com