A consultative dialogue on the influx of Burkinabe Refugees in Ghana has been held in Accra to frame a contingency plan to deal with the ongoing situation.

Due to attacks by jihadists, more than 4,000 Burkinabes have left their nation and are now seeking asylum in Ghana. They entered the nation through the border towns of the Upper East and Upper West Regions.

The Minister for the Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, in a speech read on his behalf, said the consultative dialogue was timely due to the increasing reports of attacks and other military actions in the southern part of Burkina Faso that had exacerbated the influx of Burkinabe's into Ghana.

According to Mr Dery, some communities have sacrificed some of their already limited resources to make sure the refugees are as comfortable as possible, true to the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality.

The Minister urged the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to make sure that the Burkinabes receive the proper assistance to improve their conditions.

He also urged stakeholders to ensure that extremists do not infiltrate the asylum system to threaten national security, stating that interventions should be well coordinated to avoid duplication of efforts.

The UNHCR Country Representative, Ms Esther Kiragu, said it was alarming that there are around 1.8 million internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso and more individuals may apply for refuge in Ghana.

She commended Ghana for having a long history of accepting migrants and for being an example with a cutting-edge asylum system that enables refugees to support the national economy.

The Executive Director of GRB, Mr Tetteh Padi on his part, said the asylum seekers from Burkina Faso are hosted by Ghanaians in the Upper East and Upper West Regions.