EU, UN launch project to house over 1,100 Burkina Faso refugees in Upper West
By Rebecca Okine
More than 1,100 refugees from Burkina Faso are set to benefit from dignified housing and expanded social services in the Upper West Region under a new humanitarian project launched on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
The initiative, led by the European Union (EU) in collaboration with UNICEF, UNHCR, and the Government of Ghana, is part of a €2.7 million regional program aimed at improving the resilience of forcibly displaced populations and their host communities.
Called the UNITE Project, the intervention targets Tarikom and Zini communities in the Upper East and Upper West regions. It is part of a broader €12 million regional response to displacement across West Africa, also covering Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin.
Of the total funding, the EU is contributing €10 million, with four UN agencies—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, and IOM providing the remaining €2 million.
According to UNHCR, Ghana currently hosts over 17,000 asylum seekers from Burkina Faso, many of whom fled violence and instability in the Sahel region. These refugees live in temporary and often unsafe shelters, raising urgent concerns about protection, access to services, and human dignity.
At the project launch, EU Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Irchad Razaaly, emphasized the EU’s commitment to addressing displacement in a sustainable way.
He said the UNITE Project “provides refugees and their host communities with not just temporary relief but long-term, sustainable solutions in line with human rights and international obligations.”
Key components of the project include building safe, climate-resilient housing, expanding access to electricity, and improving healthcare, education, and water and sanitation services. UNICEF Ghana Representative, Mr. Osama Makkawi Khogali, described the intervention as a commitment to dignity and inclusion, especially for vulnerable families and children.
In addition to housing and infrastructure, the project will rehabilitate existing health facilities, support enrollment of displaced mothers and children into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), aid birth registration, and strengthen local child protection systems.
Local support for the initiative has been strong. The Paramount Chief of the Buwaa Traditional Area, Kuoro Abu Diyaka Sukabe Ninia V, called on community members to welcome the refugees and assist them in rebuilding their lives.
He revealed that 200 acres of land have already been allocated to refugee settlers for farming. However, he appealed to the EU, UNHCR, and the Ghana Refugee Board to help formalize land release agreements to avoid future disputes.
Government support was highlighted by Samuel Dzikunu, Head of the UNHCR Field Office in Ghana, who said that on January 30, 2025, the Burkinabe nationals were granted refugee status under the prima facie recognition approach.
This means they are no longer classified as asylum seekers and are entitled to full protection under Ghanaian law and international refugee conventions.
The project is being implemented in partnership with several state institutions, including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Education Service, the National Identification Authority, and local government bodies.
By addressing the needs of refugees and host communities, the UNITE Project aims to promote stability, inclusion, and development in regions most affected by cross-border displacement.
