The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have committed to deepening collaboration in support of refugee protection and integration in Ghana.

A delegation from UNHCR, led by Needa Jehu-Mazou, Head of Office for Ghana, paid a courtesy call on the Director-General of NDPC, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, at the Commission’s offices in Accra. The visit formed part of ongoing efforts to enhance coordination between the two institutions in addressing refugee-related issues within national and sub-national development planning processes.

In her remarks, Madam Jehu-Mazou commended Ghana for its progressive refugee policies, particularly the inclusion of refugees in national systems such as education and health, as well as the extension of the National Health Insurance Scheme to refugee populations. She noted, however, that Ghana’s relatively small refugee population often results in limited global attention and funding.

She emphasized the importance of integrating refugee considerations into regional and district development plans, in line with UNHCR’s evolving approach to align more closely with national development priorities. She also highlighted ongoing efforts to direct support towards northern Ghana, with a focus on agribusiness and livelihoods, acknowledging the sector’s relevance to refugee communities with low literacy and high agricultural dependency.

In response, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah affirmed that the responsibility for refugee welfare rests with the state—not only on humanitarian grounds, but also as a legal and moral obligation under international frameworks to which Ghana is a signatory.

She described the visit as timely and reaffirmed NDPC’s commitment to mainstreaming refugee concerns into national planning systems. She announced that the Commission would revise its planning guidelines and expand its review checklist to include refugee protection indicators, ensuring that both planning and implementation processes reflect the needs of refugee populations.