“It’s important to explain the regular migration routes to people on the ground in these countries, and to provide them with information about the requirements in the European labour market”, added Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Hubertus Heil. “The local migration advisory centre here therefore fulfils an important function as a central point of contact for information and advice.”

As Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Ghanaian Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, stressed: “Our primary goal of creating good jobs for young people is non-negotiable. We believe that this, among other things, will mean that irregular migration will soon be a thing of the past.”

The EU will also help fund the centre in Accra in the future. Irchad Razaaly, EU Ambassador to Ghana: “Europe’s involvement in the centre is a significant milestone in our new cooperation with Germany and Ghana.” The centre’s new name also reflects this: the Ghanaian-European Centre for Jobs, Migration and Development, or GEC.

A major shift in German migration policy

“The Federal Government has decided on a paradigm shift in German migration policy. This also applies to our development cooperation. Properly managed migration can create huge potential for economic development in our partner countries, but also for us”, said Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze in Accra.

The centre in Ghana is part of the flagship initiative “Centres for Migration and Development” for which the BMZ has currently selected nine countries. In addition to the GEC in Ghana, the existing centres in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria, Iraq and Pakistan will in future provide more detailed advice on safe, regular and orderly migration. New centres are being planned for Jordan and Indonesia.

As of: 04/2023