By: Frank P. Martin
GHANA, WEST AFRICA-The Head of the Government of Liberia High-Powered Delegation to Ghana has urged stranded Liberians in Buduburam Camp to return home and contribute to the rebuilding process of the country.
Speaking at a program marking the repatriation of over four thousand Liberians in Ghana on Sunday, May 20, 2024, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Legal Affairs, Cllr. Jeddi Armah, reminded the Liberians that returning home will change their current status as they will live in dignity.
Cllr. Armah added that living perpetually as a refugee impedes the pace of individual’s growth and development and deprives one of equal opportunities in a competitive space.
He noted that the Buduburam Camp was established as part of an intervention to save the lives of Liberians who fled the country’s civil wars, as such, there is a need to return home as Liberia is currently enjoying uninterrupted peace.
The Deputy Foreign Minister thanked the Ghanaian Government and people, as well as partners, including the UNHCR, the Ghanaian Refugee Board, and the Chiefs of the Gomoa Fetteh Region for their hospitality.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Executive Director for Operations of the Liberia Refugees Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), Richard Hoff, lauded the stranded Liberians for accepting to return home.
Mr. Hoff said:” The Liberia Government is fully prepared to repatriate them, as buses have been chartered and the CARI Regional Transit Village has been renovated for their wellbeing.”
He told the stranded Liberians that One UN has agreed to carry out a rapid assessment of what their livelihoods will entail, and one hundred communities have also been identified for their stay before reintegration.
In remarks, the President of the Liberian Association in Buduburam Camp, Dennis Gwion, thanked President Joseph Boakai for the initiative to repatriate Liberians.
Mr. Gwion urged the Liberian Community to take advantage of the opportunity to return home to live in peace and contribute their expertise to the growth and development of Liberia.
However, a massive preparation is currently ongoing at the CARI Regional Transit Village in Gbargna, Bong County.
The site is being prepared for over four thousand stranded Liberians undergoing repatriation from Ghana.
The renovation works include casting of floor, brushing and electrification amongst others.
The LRRRC Executive Director, Patrick Worzie, informed Journalists recently in Monrovia that the seven tanks at the site are being renovated to be habitable and conducive for the returnees.
The renovation work is expected to be completed within 72 hours to host the 770 returnees under the first phase of the repatriation process this week.
