By our reporter
The African Migration Summit debuts in Ghana next week on February 25-26, 2021 with President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana who doubles as the Chairman of the 15- nation ECOWAS Heads of States and Government, international multiple award winning migration expert and best selling authour of “Deadly Work or Decent Work?”- a member of the African Union Labour Migration Advisory Committee and Executive Chair of Nekotech Center-, H. E. Dr. A.K. Ocansey; foremost activist Professor Patrick Lumumba from Kenya and Chairperson, Nigeria’s House of Representatives Committee on Diasporan Matters, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, leading the convergence of dignitaries.
A statement by the President of the Journalists International Forum For Migration (JIFORM), Ajibola Abayomi, urged participants across the globe to register online at www.africanmigrationsummit.org to access and participate in the highly anticipated summit.
Themed – Labour Migration: SHIFTING THE PARADIGM TO THE BENEFIT OF AFRICA, the summit will be beamed from the Accra International Conference Center, Ghana – with virtual and physical attendance of top African leaders, journalists, stakeholders and migration advocates.
JIFORM, headquartered in Nigeria with over 300 journalists covering migration matters across the continent in partnership with the multiple award winning NEKOTECH Center of Excellence, which houses the renowned Nekotech Center of Labour Migration Diplomacy – with a global membership of over 25,000 migration and human rights activists in collaboration with the United Nations Youth Association- (UNYA-GHANA) with over 10,000 members and others are powering the summit.
Notable organisations taking part in the events are: Office of the President of Ghana; diplomats, International Organization For Migration (IOM) Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria, Organization Pour l’ integration Africaine (OIA), Togo, ESCAE University- Benin Republic and the Center for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.
Ajibola said in a statement that: “This important and timely summit will be held in strict compliance with the covid-19 protocols in Ghana”.
“While there is a need to maintain safety measures against Covid-19, the time has come for African leaders, governments and migration stakeholders to urgently deepen their collaborations with African media on African migration matters to better the lot of the citizenry of the African continent and to establish the necessary platforms to stem the tide of slavery and inhumane treatment being meted out to some Africans outside of Africa, especially in the Middle East – by halting irregular migration and human trafficking”.
Adding her voice to the need to reappraise the African migration dynamics, Dr. Ocansey said: “We are alarmed by the extremely negative impact of COVID-19 on African migrants, especially women domestic workers in the Middle East.
We plan to appeal to all African leaders and governments as well as African migration activists and stakeholders to attend and contribute meaningfully to the many strategies and keys to migration success to be discussed by our Migration experts at the African Migration Summit to ensure that we, as a continent, wipe away the tears of African migrants- and make a paradigm shift to ensure Migration benefits Africa inorder to accelerate the achievement of Africa’s Agenda 2063”.
Other renowned speakers at the summit include: Dr. Tunji Asaolu, the Nigerian Representative at the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU-ECOSOCC); Hon. Alpha O. Timbo, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Sierra Leone, H.E. Dr. Winfred Nii Okai Hammond, Ghana’s Ambassador to Egypt with concurrent assignment to Lebanon and Syria and Dr Azuma Ijoma, President OIA, Hon. Gerry Weiner, former Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, Canada; Ms Susan Gong, former board member of Canada Refugee Board and the CEO of Altec Global Incorporation, a foremost immigration consulting firm; Ms. Philomena Gnanapragasan, Director of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting (AIBD) Malaysia; Dr. Ajijola Isaac, Director of Studies ESCAE University, Benin; Professor Byron Price, Global Director, Diaspora Innovation Institute – City University, USA; Professor Joseph Teye, Director- Center for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, Legon and H.E. Lillian Sally Addo, Country Head, United Nations Youth Association, Ghana among others.
To register online please visit: www.africanmigrationsummit.org.
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