The three-day workshop will among other things help build the capacity of policy-makers from Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Mauritania, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and the Democratic republic of Congo on Migration issues.

It will also foster regional cooperation in relation to poverty reduction strategy programmes among member countries.

The Regional Workshop which is the first of its kind comes ahead of the Global Forum on Migration and development which is slated to take place in Athens Greece next month.

In an address, the Deputy Minister, of the Interior, Dr. Kwasi Apea-Kubi, said the mainstreaming of migration into the regional and national strategic plans will go a long way to reduce poverty in the local communities and also help to meet the first Millennium Development Goal, which is to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty.

He noted that the Ghana Living Standards Survey has revealed that poverty reduction especially in the rural and deprived areas are partly due to the contributions from Ghanaian migrants.

In this regard, participants should work to develop concrete strategies to mainstream migration into the National Development Strategies of their various countries.

The Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration, Dyane Epstein, believe the regional workshop which is been held in Ghana will create a platform to enhance the capacities of policy makers and stakeholders.

It will also provide them with the opportunity to mainstream migration into regional and national poverty reduction and development frameworks.