Ghana offers 10,000 hectares of farmland to Burkinabe refugees as arrivals increase

Ghana has allocated 10,000 hectares of farmland to Burkinabe asylum seekers under a new government programme aimed at helping thousands of refugees become self-sufficient while reducing pressure on host communities in the country's north.

The initiative comes as Ghana continues to receive people fleeing insecurity in neighbouring Burkina Faso, where armed conflict, extremist violence and climate-related shocks have displaced large numbers of residents.

According to World Vision Ghana, more than 10,000 Burkinabe asylum seekers had sought refuge in Ghana by May 2025.

Many of the displaced are being accommodated in communities across the Upper West Region, including Tarikom, Zini, Fielmo, Bansi and Issakatinga.

Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Tuesday, Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak said the government had secured land through the Ghana Refugee Board to support agricultural activities among the refugees.

The programme, known as the Ghana Refugee Agriculture Project Support Programme, is intended to provide refugees with a sustainable source of livelihood while preventing potential competition over land and other resources with local farming communities.

"Instead of them coming to compete with our communities for land for grazing or cultivation, we have got the Ghana Refugee Board to acquire land, and now we have done about 10,000 hectares," Mr Mubarak said.

He said the initiative forms part of efforts to promote peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities, while ensuring that both groups can benefit from economic opportunities without creating tensions.

The minister noted that many of the Burkinabe asylum seekers have expressed a strong interest in farming, making agriculture a practical pathway towards self-reliance.

"The interesting thing about the Burkinabe is that they are interested in tilling the land, and so we are supporting them to be able to get the land, and get them input so that they will cultivate so that they will be able to feed themselves," he said.

Under the programme, refugees will be supported with access to farmland and agricultural inputs to enable them to cultivate crops and reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance.

The government says the project is designed not only to improve food security among displaced populations but also to support broader social integration efforts in refugee-hosting areas.

Ghana has increasingly found itself on the frontline of a regional displacement crisis driven by worsening insecurity in the Sahel, with authorities balancing humanitarian obligations with the need to protect local livelihoods and maintain social cohesion.

Officials hope the agricultural initiative will provide a model for sustainable refugee support while helping communities absorb the growing number of people seeking safety across the country's northern border.