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| UNESCO representative Abdourahamme Diallo is pictured with some of the forum attendees, including Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, secretary-general of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, Daniela d'Orlandi, the Italian ambassador to Ghana, Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, president of the Ghana Journalists Association, Giulia Piccioni, project development and donor liaison officer for IOM Ghana, and Giulia Piccioni A photo of Elvis Nii Noi Dowuona |
Young people can make educated decisions about travel when they have access to reliable information about migration, according to Abdourahamane Diallo, the UNESCO representative in Ghana.
He claimed that the advancement of the promotion and protection of human rights during migration was made possible by increased access to information.
He was speaking yesterday in Accra at a two-day stakeholders' forum on Media and Voices of Migration.
Sixty media representatives are present at the stock-taking and experience-sharing session as part of the UNESCO project "Empowering Young People in Africa via Media and Communication."
It is a component of a three-year initiative that UNESCO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Ghana Commission for UNESCO are working on across six West African nations with money from the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Ghana, Cameroun, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Nigeria, Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal are the recipient nations.
Ghana Community Radio Network, Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, Ghana Graffiti, Media Foundation for West Africa, and the University of Ghana's Department of Communications Studies are the implementing partners.
Interventions
According to Mr. Diallo, the project, which was introduced in France in January 2019, was inspired by a financial tool that the Italian government adopted in 2016 to support initiatives to rekindle communication and cooperation between Italy and African nations, the latter of which were seen as a top destination for migrants.
By enhancing access to information, promoting freedom of expression, and enhancing the capacities of young people and the media, this three-year project aimed to address the underlying causes of migration, notably the high prevalence of youth unemployment in Africa.
In the long run, this forum will also offer recommendations to be submitted to a Regional Scientific Committee to identify and analyse practices, constraints, and challenges on access to and processing of information on migration, he said. "As this project comes to an end, this forum will provide the platform for stakeholders to share experiences and good practices," he said.
According to IOM data, there would be 280.6 million international migrants worldwide in 2022, according to Daniela d' Orlandi, the Italian ambassador to Ghana.
Additionally, she added, "the number of emigrants from Ghana has more than doubled in the last 20 years, according to the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs.
Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, the Secretary-General of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, also raised worry over migratory difficulties, particularly in West and Central Africa.
Giulia Piccioni, the Project Development and Donor Liaison Officer for IOM UN Migration, claimed that the media has developed into a potent vehicle for disseminating information on migration.
Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, the president of the GJA, promised the association will assist the endeavor.
Prof. Eric Opoku Mensah, the Deputy Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, stated that the institute was interested in issues surrounding migration since the media may influence players' actions.
Dr. Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, the head of the Department of Communications Studies at the University of Ghana, identified disinformation, poor economic conditions, and a lack of opportunity as the main causes of irregular migration.
