By Zobia Zulfqar 
More than 10,000 Burkinabe asylum seekers have fled into Ghana to escape escalating armed conflict, extremist violence, and climate-related challenges in Burkina Faso, according to World Vision Ghana.
The humanitarian organisation revealed that as of May 2025, thousands of displaced people had crossed into northern Ghana, where they are being hosted in communities including Tarikom, Zini, Fielmo, Bansi, and Issakatinga.
The disclosure was made during a stakeholder engagement held in Bolgatanga to commemorate World Refugee Day 2026. The event was organised under the theme, “Beyond Survival: Ensuring Long-Term Safety, Security, and Co-existence for Refugees.”
Speaking at the event, the Strategy and Integrated Programmes Director of World Vision Ghana, Joshua Roland Baidoo, said the ongoing instability in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region continues to force vulnerable families to seek refuge across Ghana’s northern border.
According to him, children remain among the most vulnerable groups affected by displacement, accounting for nearly 40 percent of refugees worldwide. He explained that many refugee children face interrupted education, heightened risks of exploitation and abuse, as well as emotional and psychological trauma resulting from conflict and displacement.
Mr Baidoo stressed that the growing refugee situation requires urgent and sustained attention from governments, humanitarian agencies, and development partners.
“In Ghana’s refugee-hosting communities, far too many children have grown up knowing only displacement. That is the moral crisis that demands our response,” he stated.
World Vision Ghana is currently implementing the BORDER Project in partnership with the Ghana Refugee Board, with funding support from PATRIP. The initiative focuses on improving protection, livelihoods, and social cohesion among refugees and host communities in the Upper East and Upper West regions.
As part of efforts to improve living conditions, World Vision Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana Refugee Board and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has installed mechanised water systems at the Tarikom and Zini refugee camps.
The systems now provide more than 500 cubic metres of safe drinking water daily to over 5,000 refugees and host community members. In addition, the organisation is constructing 54 communal toilet facilities, 90 household toilets, and 130 bathing units to improve sanitation and hygiene conditions within the camps.
Mr Baidoo further revealed that over 5,000 refugee households have received cash assistance through a partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). More than 500 children have also benefited from donations of clothing, school supplies, and educational materials.
Private sector organisations have also joined the humanitarian effort. Unilever Ghana, for example, has provided oral hygiene kits to refugee children to support their health and well-being.
While acknowledging the generosity of host communities that have welcomed the displaced persons, Mr Baidoo appealed to the government and international partners to increase support for refugees through sustainable protection and integration programmes.
“Beyond survival is more than a call; it is a commitment. We must move beyond emergency response towards long-term safety, security, and co-existence until every person forced to flee finds not only refuge but a future,” he said.
The Upper East Regional Coordinator of the Ghana Refugee Board, Sika Agbesi, disclosed that 5,576 refugees have been officially registered in the region, with 2,380 currently residing at the Tarikom Refugee Camp.
He called for additional support, particularly vocational training and skills development programmes, to help refugees build sustainable livelihoods and integrate successfully into their host communities.
The Bawku West District Chief Executive, James Ayamwego, also commended World Vision Ghana and its partners for supporting government efforts and urged stakeholders to work together to address the growing refugee challenge in northern Ghana.