Navigating Complex Social Relations. The Migration Industry as a Key Player in Transnational Labour Migration in Ghana

Abstract

Migration is seen by many poor rural households as a strategy to escape poverty and to improve on livelihoods. Although much is known about the drivers of migration, migrant experiences upon arrival in the place of destination, as well as migration decision-making processes, much less is known about what facilitates and conditions migrant mobility. This Policy Brief examines the flow of low-skilled migrants along two migration corridors – from Ghana towards Libya and Europe, and from Ghana towards the Gulf states – for work in the domestic and construction sectors, to provide insights into how migrants’ mobility processes are impacted in various ways. These two migration corridors have assumed increasing importance in Ghana’s migration trajectories, not only as a result of strict visa regimes in North America and Europe, but also due to recent political changes in Libya and North African countries.