Deutscher Tropentag, October 8 - 10, 2003 in Göttingen "Technological and Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development"

Migration Dynamics in Ghana – Implications for Migration Forecasts

University of Bonn, Economics and Technological Change, Germany

Abstract

The overall aim of this study is to examine the determinants of migration among households in the Volta basin of Ghana at the micro and macro level. To have a complete picture of the movements into and out of the basin, we conducted a survey to obtain information from households that are currently residing outside the basin, but earlier lived within the basin. We interviewed a total of 219 households from the migrant communities in Accra and its suburbs. The main motive for selecting Accra is that migration literature on Ghana indicates that the influx of migration in Ghana is principally to the capital, Accra. Hence, we chose Accra as the survey city to capture movement outside the basin.

It is important for the study to characterize the determinants of migration both at the micro and macro level and further typify the temporary and permanent migrants, for example, what determines one to be a migrant and what selective behavior makes a migrant to move out permanently or temporarily. We have varied data sources to answer these questions. The first data set was collected by the Glowa-Volta team under Common Sampling Frame (CSF). The second data set is on the migrant communities in Accra and its suburbs. The Census data 2000 is the third data source.

To date, basic data on the migration behavior of temporary and permanent migrants in the suburbs of Accra as well as census data have been collected. The census data collected is on the agricultural market prices, rainfall, health facilities, literacy rate, irrigation facilities, population density, distances between major cities of Ghana and the complete matrix of migration flows: all at the district level.

Keywords: Ghana, migration, volta basin

Contact Address: Daniel Tsegai, University of Bonn, Economics and Technological Change, Walter-Flex-Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany, e-mail: dtsegaiuni-bonn.de