Background:
The ongoing violence in the Sahel has led to displacement in northern Ghana, which has received an estimated 15,000 asylum seekers from Burkina Faso since 2022. The asylum seekers live in informal settlements, host communities and in the two official reception centres and settlements in Tarikom in the Upper East Region and Zini in the Upper West Region. These two regions were already marginalised before the arrival of the asylum seekers and show disparities in food security, health, education and economic indicators compared to other areas of Ghana. Although the humanitarian situation is not yet extreme, the potential for new arrivals is high and, as the crisis in Burkina Faso shows no signs of abating, it is likely that the asylum seekers will remain in Ghana for an extended period of time.
Plan International Ghana conducted this Youth and Young Adult-Focused Rapid Gender Analysis (RGAYA) to understand the gender dynamics affecting youth and young people in both host and asylum-seeking communities, as well as gender-specific needs across humanitarian sectors. The findings will inform the development of effective interventions that meet the needs of children, adolescents and young people in all their diversity, and to advocate for policies that promote gender equality and youth empowerment. The findings of the RGAYA complement assessments conducted by partners involved in the implementation of the Joint Response Plan for the Gulf of Guinea.
