March 16, 2005
An island of calm
Needa Jehu-Hoya is in no danger of working herself out of a job anytime soon. She works for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) in Ghana.
This country of 20 million people is a relative newcomer to democracy and stability, with its national constitution and open elections dating back to just 1992. It's a poor country, with a GDP of just $320 per capita. Ghana is on the World Bank's list of "Heavily Indebted Poor Countries," and as such is in line for some relief of its staggering external debt, which currently hovers somewhere between $4-$7 billion. With a crushing unemployment rate, young and old alike scramble for months and even years to secure jobs here.
Yet Ghana has been the safe haven for hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring countries over the years. Call it the curse of being one of the most peaceful countries in the region.
When Liberia's civil war erupted in 1989, dragged on through the nineties, and spread to Sierra Leone, Ghana took in a stream of Liberians fleeing the chaos, although it doesn't share a border with Liberia. At the same time up to 150,000 Togolese fled to Ghana for shelter from their repressive ruler, Gnassingbe Eyadema.
The UNHCR estimates that there are now less than 100,000 refugees in Ghana, most of them Liberians, and most long-term refugees. Most of these refugees live in or near Buduburam, an hour west of Accra. The UNHCR no longer calls Buduburam a "camp", but rather a "settlement", because after sixteen years, there are no longer tents and mess halls but permanent buildings and businesses (and limited foreign aid). Some of the refugees have permanent jobs in Ghana. One is even an anchor on a popular television channel in Accra.
Absorbing and caring for the waves of refugees from its neighbors puts an obvious burden on the struggling Ghanaian government and people, but as more than one Ghanaian has told me, they believe their duty is to help spread peace and stability in the region.
That's a tall order. As Liberia's situation improves, or at least remains stable with 15,000 UN peacekeepers in place, Ghana's neighbor to the west, Cote d'Ivoire, teeters on the brink of civil war.
Togo, the tiny country to Ghana's east, is in a tense state of limbo, with its strongman president of three decades, Gnassingbe Eyadema, buried this weekend and elections scheduled in the next few months. Eyadema's son, Faure Gnassingbe, attempted to seize the presidency hours after his father's death, but harsh sanctions imposed by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the European Union convinced him to step aside. Still, many longtime Togo analysts judge the situation there extremely fragile.
And so Ghana, and the UNHCR, wait. They wait to see if Liberia's peace will hold after that country's elections in October. They wait to see what Togo's elections will bring. They wait to see if Cote d'Ivoire will disintegrate into violence and send streams of refugees into Ghana. And they wait to see if Ghana's young democracy will be strong enough to weather the storms of its neighbors.
Posted by Cathryn Poff at March 16, 2005 12:43 PM
Comments
Fascinating country -- amazing that Ghana has been able to remain a peaceful country amidst the chaos surrounding it. We look forward to your next comments, Cath.
Posted by: Nikki at March 19, 2005 6:32 AM
I'm thrilled to read about Ghana after such a long time away! I agree with your assessment of the Ghanaians as being so peaceful. That was what struck me the most on my trip there in 1990. There's a warmth, friendliness and generosity inherent in the people there, and I'm not surprised to learn how welcoming the country has been to refugees from their neighboring countries. I'm impressed that Ghana has been able to remain such a peaceful oasis amidst such political instability in the region. Keep writing, Cathryn! I'm enjoying the missives....
Posted by: casey at April 4, 2005 4:15 PM