A €2.7 million humanitarian and development project has been launched in northern Ghana to support forcibly displaced persons and their host communities in the Upper West and Upper East Regions.The project include building solar-powered water systems, rehabilitation of schools and health centres, and support peacebuilding efforts, to promote stability and development in affected communities.It targets vulnerable communities at Zini in the Upper West Region and Tarikom in the Upper East Region, and also seeks to improve access to water and sanitation, housing, child protection, legal identity, and electricity.
Women and children, who are often most affected by displacement are a key focus.The two-year initiative, titled: 'Supporting the Resilience of Forcibly Displaced People and Host Communities in Northern Ghana,' also known as UNITE, is being implemented by UNICEF and UNHCR, with co-funding from the European UnionMr Irchad Razaaly, speaking at the event, said the initiative affirmed the EU's commitment to supporting both displaced persons and the communities that hosted them.Mr Osama Makkawi Khogali, the UNICEF Representative in Ghana, outlined a series of planned health and social interventions, emphasising the dual focus on emergency response and long-term resilience."UNICEF will focus on upgrading healthcare facilities, training health workers, improving supply chains, and enrolling over 2,000 women and children in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)," he stated."We are also delivering gender-segregated sanitation facilities in schools and clinics to promote hygiene and dignity, especially for women and girls," he added."We are leading child protection activities, including birth registration for children born outside Ghana and campaigns to prevent gender-based violence," Mr Khogali indicated.He also said that UNICEF was rehabilitating schools and promoting peacebuilding programmes to support both displaced persons and host communities.Ms Needa Jehu-Mazou, the Head of UNHCR Ghana, highlighted that they would be providing climate-resilient housing and expanding access to electricity in underserved communities to ensure safe and dignified living conditions, which aligns with the broader goals of stability, equity, and cohesion.She further stressed the importance of collecting vital socio-economic data to improve access to national services such as health, education, and livelihoods for forcibly displaced persons and host communities.Moreover, the project is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, the National Identification Authority, and local and traditional authorities.
It also complements national strategies like the Gulf of Guinea Social Cohesion (SOCO) programme.Currently, more than 17,000 asylum seekers and refugees, mainly fleeing violence and instability from the Sahel and Gulf of Guinea regions, reside in parts of northern Ghana.Communities such as Zini and Tarikom have shown immense generosity in hosting displaced families, but continue to struggle with inadequate infrastructure and overstretched services gaps the UNITE project seeks to address holistically. FROM GEOFFREY BUTA, ZINI, UPPER WEST REGION
