The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), in collaboration with the Swiss Government and the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), has commenced a two-week Migration Management Course for 28 West African practitioners from Immigration, Academic Institutions, Police, Media, Gender Protection Units, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Diaspora Unit), Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The opening ceremony was held at KAIPTC on Monday 5 February 2024 with Switzerland’s Ambassador to Ghana Her Excellency (HE) Simone Giger as the Guest of Honour.
The course aims to offer a unique platform for participating practitioners and policy makers to converge not only to enhance their capacities but also to share information and ideas as well as strengthen their resolve to promote effective practices that are fundamental to managing migration and movement patterns in the Regions.
In his welcome address, the Deputy Commandant, KAIPTC, Air Commodore David Akrong, said that, the world is witnessing an era of unprecedented human mobility that neither the current global economic down turn, nor restrictive security measures can halt, however, properly managed migration could bring benefits both to migrants and societies.
According to him, these factors are brought about by a mismatch between the rapid population growth and the available resources, low level of requisite technology to exploit the available natural resources, and capacity to create employment and jobs at the countries of origin.
H.E Simone Giger in her opening remarks said that migration could mean an escape from conflict, insecurity, hardship or climate change, but it can also mean studies and new work opportunities.
It entails trafficking and smuggling, fraud and crime, human rights abuses and separated families but also family reunions, development, remittances, integration and new beginnings, and affects personal situations as well as whole societies, she added.
E Simone Giger attested that migration cannot be tackled by any country alone, therefore Switzerland strongly encourages a global approach to migration based on partnership and cooperation.