On Thursday, April 9, over 50 participants, including 30 private sector companies and
investment partners, together with government and development stakeholders,
convened at the GRASP Public–Private Sector Dialogue 2026 in Accra, organized by
UNHCR operation in Ghana, to advance investment in the livelihoods of refugees and
host communities in northern 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.