Ghana offers cash grants and jobs to citizens evacuated from South Africa
Nearly 2,000 Ghanaians returning from South Africa after xenophobic attacks will receive financial support, healthcare and help finding work, as the government seeks to ease their reintegration.
Ghana has announced a package of financial assistance, employment support and healthcare for citizens evacuated from South Africa following xenophobic attacks, saying no returnee should feel abandoned after coming home.
Each evacuee will receive GH¢5,500 comprising a GH¢5,000 reintegration grant and GH¢500 for travel and transport, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said at a news conference in Accra on Monday.
The government will also provide relief items through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), free registration under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and access to programmes aimed at helping returnees rebuild their lives.
The support comes as Ghana carries out a two-phase evacuation expected to bring home nearly 2,000 nationals from South Africa.
A first group of 926 Ghanaians has already returned, while about 1,000 more are expected to be evacuated in the second phase.
Mr Ablakwa said all returnees would be enrolled in a national database to match them with employment opportunities, skills training, entrepreneurship programmes and start-up support.
A multi-agency Presidential Task Force on Reintegration has been established to coordinate the effort, bringing together ministries responsible for employment, education, trade, social protection and local government.
The task force has begun interviewing returnees to assess their skills, work experience and career aspirations as part of efforts to place them in suitable jobs or training programmes.
According to the minister, around 200 jobs have already been secured through partnerships with private companies.
Engineering firm Engineers and Planners has committed 100 positions, while telecommunications companies Telecel Ghana, AirtelTigo and other corporate organisations have also offered employment opportunities.
The government said social workers would provide follow-up support for six months to help returnees adjust after their return, while a dedicated helpline has been established to provide additional assistance.
Officials also plan a public awareness campaign aimed at preventing the stigmatisation of those returning from South Africa.
Mr Ablakwa said the government was compiling a register of claims from returnees who lost businesses or property during the attacks, with the aim of pursuing legal and diplomatic avenues for compensation.
Separately, Ghana has petitioned the African Union to address recurring xenophobic attacks against Ghanaians and other African nationals on the continent.
The petition, which has received the backing of ECOWAS heads of state, calls for a continental response to attacks that have resulted in deaths, the destruction of businesses and the displacement of African migrants.
Mr Ablakwa said the initiative was not intended to single out South Africa but to encourage collective action to protect the rights and dignity of Africans living and working across the continent.
He added that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission had reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to addressing the issue and had discussed it with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country's
Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.