The Migration Processes in Ghana

The Case of Northern Migrants

Datos Bibliográficos

ID13112593
AutoresShamsu Deen-Ziblim (University for Development Studies, autor de correspondencia), Adadow Yidana (0000-0003-4019-6071, University for Development Studies)
Año2019
Volumen5
Número5
Fecha de publicación2019-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAFRICAN HUMAN MOBILITY REVIEW (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2410-7972 • E-ISSN: 2411-6955
EditorialUniversity of the Western Cape Library Service (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.14426/ahmr.v5i1.876
OpenAlexW4288966096
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas10

Over the past four decades, Accra has witnessed an increasing influx of young women who migrate to the city with the sole aim of carrying goods. This paper examines the migration processes of these young women, who mostly migrate from the northern part of Ghana to Accra, in the South. A sample of 216 female porters were selected for the study. A survey, personal interviews, and focus group discussions were the main tools for data collection. The reasons for their migration, the parties involved in the decision to migrate, and how their migration was financed were explored. The study revealed that the migration process of female porters is enabled by social networks; the women have varying levels of social capital, which facilitates movement and settlement. These social networks increase the social asset base of female porters and provide safety nets for them. It is found that the reasons for their migration are related to the declining importance of agriculture and the non-availability of jobs at their origin, which can be blamed on the liberalisation of the Ghanaian economy. It is also found that mothers are deeply involved in their daughters' migration decisions

Asset (computer security · Business · Demographic economics · Developing country · Development economics · Economic geography · Economic growth · Economics · Focus group · Geography · Human migration · Internal migration · Irregular migration · Liberalization · Political science · Population · Settlement (finance · Social capital · Social science · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Demography · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies