Business, Government, UNHCR Align to Drive New Economic Pathways for Refugees in Ghana

The Dialogue focused on mobilizing private sector engagement in agriculture through the Ghana Refugee Agribusiness and Sustainability Programme (GRASP), a joint initiative that connects refugee inclusion with national development priorities and positions agribusiness as a pathway to economic opportunity, self-reliance, and resilience. With over 30,000 asylum seekers arriving in Ghana since 2022, primarily in rural northern regions, the Dialogue highlighted the need to move beyond short-term assistance toward approaches that enable people to work, earn, and contribute to local economies.

GRASP, now integrated into Ghana’s Feed Ghana Programme, reflects a coordinated effort among UNHCR, the Ghana Refugee Board, and national institutions to align humanitarian response with long-term development and private-sector investment. “Refugee inclusion is fundamentally about enabling people to rebuild their lives with dignity,” said Mr. Tetteh Padi, Head of UNHCR Ghana. “Through initiatives such as GRASP, we are working with government and private sector partners to ensure that refugees and host communities can access livelihoods, participate in the economy, and contribute to shared growth.”

The Dialogue provided a platform for private sector actors to explore opportunities across agricultural value chains, including production, processing, and market access, while identifying areas for collaboration, investment, and innovation. “Across Africa, we increasingly experience protracted displacement. Our response is evolving accordingly,” said Nancy Aburi, Chief of Private Sector Partnerships Africa, UNHCR. “This partnership demonstrates how an engaged private sector can integrate refugees into Agribusiness value chains, contributing towards thriving economies and communities.”

Government representatives emphasized the importance of aligning refugee inclusion with national development frameworks and ensuring that refugee-hosting areas are integrated into broader economic strategies.
“Ghana is advancing an approach to refugee inclusion that is fully aligned with national development priorities,” said the Deputy Executive Secretary, Ghana Refugee Board, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Nana Asare Bediako. “Through GRASP and its integration into the Feed Ghana Programme, refugee-hosting areas are being positioned within our broader economic planning—linking livelihoods, markets, and investment to regions where both refugees and host communities are building their futures.”

Private sector leaders emphasized the scale of opportunity within agricultural value chains in northern Ghana, particularly as partnerships create clearer entry points for investment and market engagement.
“We see strong potential to engage across agricultural value chains—from production to processing and market access,” said Mr. Nii Annorbah-Sarpei, Programmes Manager, KGL Foundation. “GRASP brings together the partnerships, coordination, and structure that allow businesses to participate in ways that are practical, scalable, and aligned with long-term growth.”
The Dialogue brings together government, private sector, and development partners around a shared focus on expanding livelihoods, strengthening value chains, and increasing investment in refugee-hosting areas.
 

For more information, please contact:
Jessica Quarshie | UNHCR Private Sector Partnerships – Ghana | quarshij@unhcr.org

About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced
communities and stateless people. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions, and to support solutions that allow people to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity