Ghana - Migration Industry

Abstract

In recent times, the decision to migrate has moved from an individual level to a household level which is much complex due to the many social interactions within kinship networks and beyond. Middlemen and recruitment agencies have a significant and widespread role within migrant labour markets around the world occupying the “middle space” between migrants and the state. These groups often act on behalf of states seeking to outsource border controls, conspiring with employers to exploit and commoditise migrant labour. Our research will start from the premise that the term migrant includes people with different kinds of migration statuses who move in and out of being legal/undocumented; trafficked/in control; refugees/ voluntary migrants. The research will recognise the dependent nature of the migration industry and migration governance and note that, the migration industry is shaped by changes in the policy environment, and governance context which is in turn shaped by the migration industry.