Migration into Cities in Ghana: The Economic Benefi ts to Migrants and their Households

Abstract

In the light of the rapid pace of urbanisation and associated challenges such as urban unemployment, urban poverty, and the emergence of slums, policy prescription in Ghana has largely occupied itself with attempts to curb rural-urban migration. There is a widely held perception that rural-urban migration cannot lead to positive outcomes for migrants and their households. Yet, there is little understanding of how rural-urban migrants in Ghana fare in the city relative to how they would have fared had they stayed in their original areas, or how their households would have fared had the migrant not left home. This briefi ng for policy makers is based on research conducted by the Migrating out of Poverty Research Consortium. It argues that while rural-urban migration can cause unemployment and lower income for a minority of migrants, most people who migrate from rural areas to cities in Ghana gain from enhanced incomes and improved wellbeing. The fi ndings indicate that migration from rural areas to cities in Ghana must not always be portrayed as detrimental to socio-economic development. Migration can be employed as a strategy to move out of poverty. The research fi ndings also call for the need to make potential migrants aware of the economic gains and losses associated with rural-urban migration.