Ghana could unlock measurable economic gains by removing administrative barriers that prevent refugees from fully participating in the labor market, according to new research by the Amahoro Coalition, which argues that refugee employment should be treated as a growth and productivity issue rather than a humanitarian concern.
Findings from the Pathways to Employment Ghana country report were presented at a media roundtable in Accra, where researchers and private sector stakeholders examined how policy bottlenecks are limiting the country’s ability to tap skills already present within its refugee population.
Although Ghana’s Refugee Act of 1992 grants refugees the right to work, move freely and access public services on the same basis as citizens, the report finds that administrative misalignment continues to exclude refugees from formal employment, pushing many into low-productivity informal work.
“What the evidence shows is not a lack of political will, but systems that don’t talk to each other,” said Mercy Kusiwaa Frimpong, Strategy Custodian for Communications at Amahoro Coalition. “Documentation and procedures have become unintended barriers to employment.”
Labour Market Frictions Limit Productivity
One of the most significant constraints identified is the work permit process. Refugees must secure an employer commitment letter before applying for a permit, yet employers are often unwilling to issue such letters without confirmed work authorisation. Official processing timelines of one week frequently stretch into months, causing candidates to lose job offers.
As a result, many refugees despite professional qualifications are absorbed into informal sectors such as agriculture, construction and petty trading, where productivity, incomes and tax contributions remain low.
Opening the discussion, Fred Mawuli Deegbe Jr., Private Sector Partnerships Lead for West Africa at Amahoro Coalition, said refugee employment should be understood through the lens of labour demand and business confidence.
“Jobs do not happen in policy documents; they happen when businesses are confident enough to hire,” he said. “Reducing uncertainty allows refugees to move from being perceived as a cost to being recognised as contributors to economic growth.”
Untapped Skills in Key Sectors
The report highlights sectoral opportunities where refugees are already filling skills gaps. Healthcare facilities and international schools have successfully employed refugee doctors, nurses and French-language teachers, particularly in areas facing local shortages.
However, systemic barriers continue to block broader participation, including limited access to banking due to challenges with renewing the Ghana Card, and restricted access to National Service placements, which are critical for entry into public sector and professional careers.
“These constraints are not just social issues; they represent lost productivity and underutilised human capital,” the report noted.
Economic Case for Reform
Bathsheba Asati, Principal Strategy Custodian for Growth at Amahoro Coalition, said displacement and labour mobility are structural realities for Africa, not temporary shocks.
“Displaced populations are already participating in regional labour markets, mostly informally,” she said. “Formalising that participation would strengthen productivity, resilience and economic integration under ECOWAS and the AfCFTA.”
The research draws on data from 15 African countries and finds that barriers to refugee employment are rarely legal in nature. Instead, they cluster around documentation gaps, employer risk perceptions and weak coordination between migration, labour and identity systems.
Policy Changes With High Economic Returns
For Ghana, which hosts approximately 12,200 registered refugees, the report argues that modest reforms could deliver outsized economic returns. Key recommendations include streamlining the Ghana Card into a combined residence and work authorisation, removing employer letter requirements from permit applications, and expanding private sector engagement through job fairs and awareness campaigns.
The report also calls for targeted support for refugee-led enterprises through microfinance and simplified licensing, alongside the creation of a Refugee Employment Task Force to coordinate efforts across government agencies and the private sector.
“With the right alignment, Ghana could position itself as a regional reference point for employment-led refugee integration,” the report stated, noting that such an approach would strengthen labour markets at a time of rising displacement across Africa.
While resource constraints at the Ghana Refugee Board remain a challenge, stakeholders at the roundtable agreed that employment-focused integration offers a cost-effective path to shared growth transforming refugees from a perceived burden into a productive economic asset.
