The National President of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Migration in Ghana (CCMG), Eric Boakye Peasah, has called on the government to decentralise migration governance by empowering metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to manage migration-related issues within their jurisdictions. He argued that because foreign nationals are present in communities across the country, migration governance should no longer be handled primarily from the national level. Speaking to MyJoyOnline at the close of the two-day 2026 Post-International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) National Stakeholder Dialogue, organised by CCMG in partnership with GIZ and the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) at the University of Ghana, Mr Boakye Peasah said migration was not merely a national issue discussed in Accra but one that played out largely at the local level.
“In reality, most migration activities, challenges and opportunities play out at the local level,” he said. “A critical look at the issue will reveal that migration governance takes place more at the local level. So managing migration governance should also take place more within the districts.” He said the country had managed migration centrally for many years but believed the responsibility should now be assigned to district and municipal assemblies.
District assemblies already taking first steps. Mr Boakye Peasah revealed that progress towards decentralising migration governance was already underway. According to him, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) this year introduced a policy requiring every district assembly to incorporate migration into its development agenda.
He described the move as the “first step” towards effective decentralisation of migration management. However, he noted that the assemblies would require more than policy directives to perform the role effectively. “They all need information for planning, response and support services,” he said.
Stefan Rother, Co-Director (Germany) of MIASA Proposal for digital migration platform To bridge the information gap, the CCMG President proposed the establishment of a dedicated digital platform for metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. He explained that the platform could serve as a central repository for migration data, policy guidance and public education.
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