“We encourage African youth to stay in their home countries and work hard to earn their daily keep. They must not assume that Europe and other places outside Africa guarantee automatic comforts and pleasure.”
Church leaders in Ghana have urged African governments to take immediate action to halt the migrations across the Mediterranean to Europe. The exodus of young Africans was harming their native countries, the country’s Catholic and Protestant leaders said on 10 May 2015, and also risked the lives of those seeking a better life in Europe.
Tens of thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East have risked the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean this year. Last month one vessel capsized off Italy, drowning an estimated 900 people.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged Britain to open its borders to the migrants, saying fairness required the government to take its fair share of migrants. However, Christian leaders in Ghana argued this view was misguided.
In a statement released at the close of their annual meeting held in Osu-Accra, the Christian Council of Ghana and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ghana urged the government to address the nation’s pressing economic, social and political issues. They also stated they were “saddened by the news of many African migrants perishing in the deserts of northern Africa and the Mediterranean Sea and call on African states and Governments to institute proactive measures to curb this menace.”
“We strongly urge African governments to do all they can to create the necessary conducive political and socio-economic environments and employment opportunities for our teeming unemployed youth,”
The further encouraged “African youth to stay in their home countries and work hard to earn their daily keep. They must not assume that Europe and other places outside Africa guarantee automatic comforts and pleasure.”