Liberian Integration in Ghana: A Model for Regional Refugee Policy

Abstract

The refugee crisis in West Africa is a pressing issue largely overlooked due to ongoing continental conflicts and regional institutional weaknesses. As displacement crises in West Africa continue to worsen because of armed conflict, political instability, and environmental degradation, there is an increasing need to contextualize and strengthen policy frameworks. The thesis investigates Ghana’s integration of Liberian refugees during the 1990s and 2000s. The thesis focuses on Ghana because its approach to this crisis is arguably one of the few successful models for locally integrating refugees. Ghana exhibited a notably inclusive and rights-based approach through its community strategies and 1992 Refugee Law. These strategies facilitated the integration of Liberian refugees in legal protection, social inclusion, and economic participation at the Buduburam Refugee Camp and beyond. The thesis relies on applying and expanding scholarly arguments to understand sustainable methods for refugee integration. Engagement with scholarly frameworks has revealed tensions between inclusive and rights-based approaches, structural barriers, and lived realities. The thesis employs a mixed-methods approach to assess Ghana's integration strategies through policy analysis, quantitative analysis of economic trends, fieldwork, and interviews with scholars and experts. Due to the limitations of the research capabilities, I was unable to speak to former refugees themselves, so I utilized academic survey responses to gain insight into their perspectives. The interviews, fieldwork, and academic research revealed that Ghana’s integration model provided essential pathways for refugee autonomy and dignity but ultimately faced economic and institutional challenges that hindered its sustainability. To address this conclusion, drawing on the methods mentioned above, the thesis offers three feasible policy recommendations for Ghana and one for ECOWAS that align with development goals and the region’s legal and moral obligations. They are as follows:

The Ghana Refugee Board should institutionalize inclusive, participatory governance for refugees. The Ghana Refugee Board should limit barriers to refugee economic inclusion by institutionalizing refugee economic opportunities for self-employment and small-scale business. The Government of Ghana should leverage the growing presence of Chinese investment to support its national development agenda, ensuring equitable economic opportunities for locals and displaced populations. ECOWAS should establish a permanent legal framework for the residency and naturalization of former refugees who wish to remain in their host countries for economic, social, or personal reasons.

The closure of Buduburam Camp and the evolving dynamics of displacement among refugees from Burkina Faso, Togo, and Sudan highlights the urgent need for adaptive, regional policy innovation. These recommendations prioritize refugee autonomy, rights, and empowerment, as refugee policy has often lacked these attributes in its pursuit of providing basic and immediate necessities. Now is the time to create policies that effectively address weaknesses in Ghana’s refugee integration policy while developing long-term regional solutions to meet national and international development commitments.