Can Rural-Urban Migration into Slums

Reduce Poverty?
Evidence from Ghana

Mariama Awumbila, George Owusu and

Joseph Kofi Teye

Working Paper 13

April 2014
Acknowledgements

This working paper is an output of the Migrating out of Poverty project ‘Urbanisation, Rural-
Urban Migration, and Urban Poverty in Ghana’, funded by the UK’s Department for
International Development (DFID). DFID supports policies, programmes and projects to
promote poverty reduction globally and provided funds for this study as part of that goal,
but the views and opinions expressed are those of the authors alone.

The project was implemented by the Migrating out of Poverty core partner in Ghana, the
Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) at the University of Ghana. CMS would like to thank
officials of the various state organisations, especially the Ghana Statistical Service,
Metropolitan, Municipals and District Assemblies (MMDA’s), for providing useful data for
the study. CMS is also indebted to the research and field assistants, community entry focal
persons, respondents, key informants and focus group discussants, who took time off their
busy schedules trying to meet livelihood needs, to provide useful insights into their daily
lives, struggles and achievements.

The UK Department for International Development (DFID) supports policies, programmes

and projects to promote poverty reduction globally. DFID provided funds for this study as
part of that goal but the views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) alone.

© 2014 by Awumbila, George Owusu and Joseph Kofi Teye. Short sections of text, not to
exceed two paragraphs, may be quoted without explicit permission provided that full credit,
including © notice, is given to the source.

2
Abstract

Recent evidence indicates that the increasing levels of poverty in urban areas in Ghana are
partly attributed to net migration of poor people to cities. However, evidence of the
linkages between urbanisation, rural-urban migration and poverty outcome is mixed. In the
light of the rapid pace of urbanisation and the resulting pressure on public facilities, policy
prescription has largely occupied itself with attempts to curb rural-urban migration. There is
a widely held perception – as emphasised in a number of policy documents – that rural-
urban migration cannot lead to positive outcomes for migrants, their areas of origin, or
destination. Recent poverty reduction strategies and urban policies tend to focus on the
negative aspects of migration and little support is provided for rural-urban migrants in
Ghana. Yet, the relationship between rural-urban migration and poverty reduction is not
adequately understood nor explored. This study examines the livelihoods of poor migrants
living and working in two urban informal settlements in Accra: Nima and Old Fadama. The
findings suggest that, despite living in a harsh environment with little social protection, an
overwhelming majority of the migrants believes that their overall well-being has been
enhanced by migrating to Accra. Using their own ingenuity, the migrants build houses and
create jobs in the informal sector and beyond in order to survive and live in Accra. The
migrants are also contributing to poverty reduction and human capital development back
home through remittances and investments. Yet, official assessments and perceptions of
urban poverty do not take into account the fact that poor people are attracted to urban
areas to utilise the multiple economic opportunities there, but instead only focus on head
count measures that do not recognise these dynamics. Our findings show that urban slums
are not just places of despair and misery, but places where migrants are optimistically
making the most of their capabilities and are trying to move out of poverty, despite the
obvious difficulties. Therefore, we urge the need for a more nuanced understanding of the
connections between the migration of the poor to urban areas and the impacts that this is
having on their long term prospects to exit poverty.

3
 Table of Contents
List of figures .............................................................................................................................. 5

List of tables ............................................................................................................................... 5

List of plates ............................................................................................................................... 5

List of Boxes ............................................................................................................................... 5

1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 6

2. Conceptualising Migration, Urbanisation, and Poverty Linkages .......................................... 7

2.1 Defining and measuring migration .................................................................................. 8

2.2 Defining and measuring poverty ...................................................................................... 8
2.3 Urbanisation, migration and poverty: exploring the linkages ......................................... 9

3. Research Methods and Data Sources .................................................................................. 10

3.1 Study communities ........................................................................................................ 10

3.2 Methods of data collection and data analysis ............................................................... 14

4. Results and Discussions ....................................................................................................... 15

4.1 Socio-demographic characteristics of migrants ............................................................ 15

4.2 Regions of origin of migrants ......................................................................................... 16
4.3 The migration process.................................................................................................... 17
4.4 Migrants living environments and access to basic services .......................................... 19
4.5 Migrant urban livelihoods and entrepreneurship ......................................................... 23
4.6 How has migration into urban areas impacted on households and individuals within
households? ......................................................................................................................... 26
4.6.1 Asset accumulation ................................................................................................. 26
4.6.2 Migration and well-being ....................................................................................... 31

5. Conclusion and Policy Implications ...................................................................................... 33

References ............................................................................................................................... 36

4
List of figures
Figure 1: Map of the study Communities, Old Fadama and Nima........................................ 14

List of tables
Table 1: Summary of distinguishing characteristics of Nima and Old Fadama..................... 12
Table 2: Socio-demographic characteristics of migrants .................................................... 15
Table 3: Main reason for migrating to Accra differentiated by gender.............................. 17
Table 4: Housing Types used by migrants............................................................................. 20
Table 5: Availability of basic services.................................................................................... 21
Table 6: Employment status of migrants.............................................................................. 23
Table 7: Assets owned by migrants before and after migration (N=239)…………………………..27
Table 8: Proportion of migrants who currently own selected assets by sex........................ 38
Table 9: Proportion of households receiving and sending remittances in Nima and Old
Fadama……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 30
Table 10a: Migrants assessment of their current financial situation by location …………….. 31
Table 10b: Migrants assessment of their current financial situation by sex …..……………….. 31
Table 11a: Assessment of overall life of household after moving to Accra by location…….. 32
Table 11b: Assessment of overall life of household after moving to Accra by sex… ….…….. 32

List of plates
Plate 1: Wooden shacks and kiosk serving as homes for migrants in Old Fadama...............20
Plate 2: Dumping of refuse has resulted in the pollution of the Odaw River........................21
Plate 3: Private bath houses for commercial purposes.........................................................22
Plate 4 Migrants in the e-waste business .............................................................................25

List of Boxes
Box 1: Migrants perceptions about opportunities in Accra – the case of Sanatu................. 18
Box 2: Influence of parents on decisions to migrate to Accra for job – the case of Tsito.... 19
Box 3: Migrants in the e-Waste Business – the case of Mashud.......................................... 24
Box 4: Irregular income, but improved wellbeing – the case of Muniratu........................... 26

5
1. Introduction
Several studies and population census reports indicate that migration flows in Ghana are
largely shaped by socio-economic conditions in places of origin and destination. Population
and housing censuses conducted in 2000 (2005a, 2005b and 2010 (GSS 2012) indicate a
positive relationship between the level of social and economic development and the volume
and direction of migration. While Accra – the ‘most developed’ and urbanised area in
Ghana, with the greatest access to modern infrastructure and services – attracted a net
increase of 310 per 1000 inhabitants in the year 2000, the least developed Upper West and
Upper East regions recorded a net loss of 332 and 219 per 1000 inhabitants respectively.
These figures suggest an ‘exodus’ from the poorer regions into Accra and other relatively
well-developed regions of Ghana.

In line with trends in the rest of Africa, Ghana’s population is becoming increasingly
urbanised. In 2010, the proportion of the population living in urban areas was 50.9 per cent,
compared to 43.8 per cent in 2000 (GSS 2012), and is projected to increase to 63 per cent by
2025. The rapid urbanisation has been attributed to a complex mix of factors, such as: rural-
urban migration; natural increase in towns and cities; and re-classification of villages into
towns once they attain the threshold population of 5000 or over (GSS, 2012). The
contribution of rural-urban migration to the growth of the urban populations in Ghana and
other West African countries must therefore be treated with caution (see for example: Potts
2012).

The fact is, however, that migration and urbanisation trends are occurring simultaneously
with the declining levels of poverty across the country. The decline of poverty levels has led
to the lowering of the absolute numbers of the poor from about 7.4 million individuals in
1992 to about 6.2 million individuals in 2006, or from 51.7 per cent of the population in
1992 to 28.5 per cent in 2006 (GSS 2007). Indeed, by 2006, Ghana was on track towards
achieving MDG1 on poverty reduction.

Although, in broad terms, the poverty levels in urban Ghana are lower than in rural Ghana,
recent evidence indicates increasing levels of poverty in urban areas (GSS 2007; Owusu and
Yankson 2007). For instance, Accra, the national capital and hub of economic activities in
Ghana, has attained the status as the least poor area in the country. However, after four
rounds of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS), Accra more than doubled its standard
poverty incidence (from 4.4 per cent in 1999 to 10.6 per cent in 2006) and tripled its
extreme poverty incidence (from 1.3 per cent in 1999 to 4.4 per cent in 2006). This increase
in poverty is partly attributed to net migration of poor migrants to the city (GSS 2007).
However, there is a strong view that there is an underestimation of poverty in large
Ghanaian cities such as Accra and Kumasi, based on the fact that the adjustments made in
the setting of the poverty line in terms of the non-food consumption are very low in relation
to the cost of housing, transport, water and other needs which must be paid for by the poor
in urban areas (Owusu and Yankson 2007).

Yet, this view of rural-urban migrants’ transfer of poverty to cities is simplistic and needs to
be further interrogated and critiqued. Ravallion et al. (2007) note that, as the overall share
of a country’s population shifts to urban areas (partly) as a result of rural-urban migration,

6
poverty levels tend to fall mainly due to higher economic growth associated with more rapid
urbanisation rather than due to re-distribution. More specifically for Ghana, Cavalcanti
(2005) notes that the rapid decline of poverty in the last two decades (from about 52 per
cent in 1991 to 28 per cent in 1996) can be partly attributed to urbanisation and its
consequences of a shift away from agriculture toward urban economic activities (trade and
other services, manufacturing and construction). Thus, while rural-urban migrants may be
poor initially, they become better off over time, leading to actual reduction in poverty
levels.

Hence, these studies indicate that the linkages between urbanisation, rural-urban migration
and poverty outcomes are mixed and multidirectional. In the light of the rapid pace of
urbanisation and urban growth, policy prescriptions such the Ghana Shared Growth and
Development Agenda (GSGDA) 2010-2013, emphasise measures largely aimed at curbing
rural-urban migration and other types of migration to urban areas (GoG/NDPC 2009).1 It is
however clear that whilst Accra, like many cities in Africa and elsewhere, has a large
population of poor people, it also presents opportunities for moving out of poverty.
Nevertheless, there is dearth of knowledge on how poor migrants escape poverty in the
city, or indeed become worse off by transporting poverty from rural areas (place of origin).

Not only are migration and urbanisation trends increasing, but the actors involved with such
processes are changing. With an increasing movement of young persons and women, the
gendered nature of the migration process becomes increasingly visible in Ghana. Recent
evidence suggests that the independent migration of women and adolescent girls into urban
areas to work as porters in markets is growing (Awumbila and Ardayfio-Schandorf 2008). Yet
policy perceptions of migration of young women and adolescent girls continue to be
simplistic, with them being seen as victims, often of trafficking for sexual exploitation, thus
overshadowing all other types of the gendered migration.

In response to the growing trend of rapid urbanisation, increasing poverty in urban Ghana,
and the lack of evidence based research to guide policy formulation, this paper examines
the impact of migration of poor people into urban slums in Accra on poverty outcomes,
access to services, economic and social opportunities, as well as the barriers that they face
in the urban areas. In so doing, it analyses the factors operating at the household,
community and national levels, which mediate the relationship between migration and
poverty in urban slums and how these differ by context. It also addresses how gender based
roles, gender differentiated experience of migration, and gendered occupational patterns
impact on poverty. Furthermore, it highlights the strategies adopted to maximize their
chances of getting out of the poverty and the associated policy implications.

2. Conceptualising Migration, Urbanisation, and Poverty Linkages

Migration, poverty and urbanisation are complex and highly context-specific social
processes and phenomena. In order to understand the inter-linkages, it is important that

1
The GSGDA stresses that in the medium-term, the government will embark on the establishment of spatial
development zones, including the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), CEDECOM/Western
Corridor Development Authority, Eastern Corridor Development Authority, and Millennium Development
Authority (MiDA), with the aim of reducing rural-urban migration (GoG/NDPC 2009, p. 13).

7
issues of definition and measurements of the three concepts are clearly defined, as the
relationships which emerge will inevitably depend on the concepts and indicators used to
measure these social phenomena.

2.1 Defining and measuring migration

Migration has always been an important human strategy and its impacts have shaped
human history. In the developing world, migration has come to represent a vital livelihood
and adaptation strategy in response to a wide variety of events and structural shifts.
However, migration is not a homogeneous process or experience and thus can be
categorised in overlapping, often conflicting, ways. As a result of this diversity, a person who
would be considered a migrant in one context may not be seen as such in another, and vice
versa. This reflects social perceptions of migration. Indigenousness is socially and culturally
significant in much of Africa, including Ghana. Therefore, there are many ethnic groups who
have been settled in Ghana for generations but are nonetheless still referred to as
‘immigrants’. For instance, Songsore (2003a: 5) describes ethnic enclaves of West African
‘immigrant populations’ (zongos) as including peoples who ‘came to present-day Ghana in
the pre-colonial era along trans-Saharan trade routes’. The ‘migrant neighbourhoods’ of
Nima and Old Fadama, for example, are also home to many people who were born there
and have never lived anywhere else, yet are considered migrants because their parents or
grandparents migrated from the north in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) defines a migrant as a person who has moved and stayed
at his/her current place of residence for at least a year (GSS 2008). This definition has been
found to have several drawbacks, the most serious of which is that it does not capture
seasonal migrants, who tend to stay at their places of residence for less than a year. Given
that this study focuses on ‘old’ and ‘new’ migrants, it defines a migrant as someone who has
moved and settled in an area for at least six months. This allows to capture both seasonal
and permanent migrants, as well as provide an adequate timeframe to assess migrants’
well-being at their place of residence.

2.2 Defining and measuring poverty

Traditional economic models measured poverty by income, unemployment and wage

determinants (Harris and Todaro 1970), but the shift towards analysis at the meso
(household) level rather than the individual level highlights the need for broader notions of
poverty (Stark 1991; Stark and Taylor 1989). New indicators incorporated into new
economics models include risk, social protection, education, income diversification and
asset accumulation, with the aim of achieving a more rounded approach to poverty
measurement (Massey 1999; Portes and Rumbaut 1996). The Ghana Living Standards Survey
measures poverty by an economic index that incorporates poverty head count ratio, poverty
gap ratio, and inequality of income (Fiadzo et al. 2001), resulting in a working definition of
‘the poor’ as ‘those subsisting on a per capita income of less than two thirds of the national
average’ (Ashong and Smith 2001: 5). Recent conceptualisations of poverty have also
expanded beyond the limited classical notions of financial and economic disadvantage, to
incorporate issues of social discrimination and exclusion, absence of opportunities,
vulnerability, inequality and failure to attain capabilities, all of which tend to cause or
exacerbate poverty (Batse et al. 1999; Narayan et al. 2000). However, no combination will

8
be sufficient to reflect the multi-dimensions and diverse types and experiences of poverty
(Sabates-Wheeler et al. 2005). Furthermore, like ‘migrants’, ‘the poor’, are not a
homogeneous group of people, facing the same difficulties and choosing the same
livelihood and coping strategies (Kothari 2002; Sabates-Wheeler et al. 2007).

It is against this background that this paper adopts the ‘assets approach’ to explain the
different types of assets, both tangible and intangible, which are owned by the various
migrant groups, and how these assets enhance accessibility of basic social services. It has
been recognised that both monetary and non-monetary measurements of poverty have
weaknesses. Nevertheless, one of the advantages of using the assets approach is that it can
be used to monitor changes in poverty over time, including changes in household ownership
of the asset index components, which may not necessarily translate into a reduction in
material poverty (Doss et al. 2008; Ferguson et al. 2007; Moser 1998). Measurement of
poverty using the asset approach is further supplemented by migrants’ subjective
assessment of their overall well-being at their place of destination.

2.3 Urbanisation, migration and poverty: exploring the linkages

There are multiple, multidirectional and multi-dimensional linkages between urbanisation,

migration, and poverty; each can act to drive or prevent the others, and each can influence
the outcomes of the others. Migration can be a reaction to severe poverty, or a chosen
livelihood strategy to improve upon household wealth. For example, in Ghana during the
economic slump from the 1970s to 1980s, migration became the basic survival strategy for
families to enable them to cope with difficult economic conditions (Awumbila et al. 2011a;
Kwankye and Anarfi 2011). In recent times, independent migration of girls and women have
become common as households began to see the benefits of remittance from female
members working as domestic workers, as head porters (Kayayei), or in markets (Awumbila
et al. 2008, 2011a).

Large differences in income and living standards between places (Awumbila et al. 2011b;
Murrugarra et al. 2011), as well as the general perception that migrant households are
better off than non-migrant households (Clemens and Pritchett 2008; Sabates-Wheeler et
al. 2007), act as incentives for people to move. Studies on urbanisation indicate that key pull
factors of internal migration in Ghana are income, employment, and other opportunities for
personal success and development in the southern urban centres, all of which are severely
limited in the northern and rural areas (Awumbila et al. 2011b; Black et al. 2006; Kwankye et
al. 2009; Mensah-Bonsu 2003). Even when formal employment figures decline, the cities
offer more opportunities in their huge informal labour markets (Songsore 2003a).

While severe poverty can drive migration, many studies have illustrated that poverty can
also limit migration and other livelihood opportunities. Sabates-Wheeler et al. (2007) found
that poor international migrants from Ghana were more likely to travel irregularly (without
documents) than non-poor migrants. Irregular international migrants find it more difficult to
accumulate assets and savings, face considerably more risk during travel and at destination,
and may be forcibly returned. Poverty can also determine possible distances of migration.
For instance, in the Upper West region of Ghana, wealthy migrants were found to move
more often to the urban centres of the south, including Accra, while the poor and illiterate
migrated over shorter distances, usually to the Brong Ahafo region (Van der Geest 2011).

9
Migration can also contribute to urban poverty and the development of informal
settlements. Migrant communities – enclaves of internal and international migrants of the
same nationality, place of origin or ethnic group – are a common phenomenon around the
world, and have been recorded in and around Ghana’s urban centres since the pre-colonial
era. The Metropolitan Area of Accra-Tema is a particularly striking example of the impact
that migrant communities can have on the growth of cities (both in terms of population and
space). Sabon Zongo, Accra New Town, Nima, Maamobi and Old Fadama are examples of
‘migrant’ areas in Accra, although most of them were established at least 40 years ago,
whilst some date as far back as 100 years ago. Various factors drive migrants to accumulate
in particular areas of the city, including social networks, exclusion from housing or
employment in indigenous neighbourhoods, xenophobia and protection in numbers, and in
order to claim land to farm (Agyei-Mensah and Owusu 2009; Yaro et al. 2011). Many of
these migrant communities emerge in urban slums as these areas become a primary
destination for internal migrants. In Ghana, urban slums are characterised by dense
population, unsafe buildings, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, lack of access to basic
facilities such as clean water, sanitation and health services (Owusu et al. 2008). The total
number of people living in slums in Ghana increased from 4.1 million in 2001 to 5.5 million
in 2008 (GNA 2012). Owusu et al. (2008) describe urban slums as ‘the new face of poverty in
Ghana’, which are host to many internal and international migrants.

The above discussion on the inter linkages between the processes of migration, urbanisation
and poverty highlights not only the complexity, but also the diverse range of contexts within
which they occur in Ghana. Poverty can force or prevent migration, but most often it limits
the types of migration and destinations open to poor people, as well as determines the
conditions under which they migrate as a livelihood strategy. The strong north-south
migration trends within Ghana reflect both urbanisation patterns and spatial inequality as a
driver of migration. In return, migration is one of the key contributing factors to
urbanisation in Ghana. Over centuries, rural-urban migration has led to the emergence of
many migrant communities in the city, a form of social capital that is important in successful
migration outcomes. Due to land and housing problems and the attraction of the informal
economy for migrants with low human capital, these migrant communities tend to be based
(and therefore expand) in urban slums, with negative effects both on urban poverty and on
the experiences and living conditions of migrants. The discussion also highlights the fact that
the poor are not a homogeneous group but have differentiated access to resources and
institutions and therefore have different capacities to undertake migration (Sabates-
Wheeler et al. 2005).

3. Research Methods and Data Sources

3.1 Study communities

This study focuses on Accra, drawing on two case studies of the predominantly poor migrant
communities of Old Fadama and Nima (see Figure 1). Nima, a poor neighbourhood of Accra

10
which emerged in the 1940s, is a melting pot of ethnic groups and nationalities, especially
from northern Ghana and the West Africa Sahelian countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina. Old
Fadama, on the other hand, is a more recent poor migrant community, which dates back to
the mid-1990s and is home to many of the poor (including poor female head porters) who
make their living from the market. Due to its harsh and poor living conditions, Old Fadama
is also nicknamed ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’, after two condemned biblical cities, an allusion to
the biblical story told in the book of Genesis of a town so wicked that God destroyed it,
reflecting the popular perception in Accra that the slum is a sinful den of vice, and filth.2
These two urban communities provide a good context to examine the linkages between old
and new migrants.

As shown in Table 1, the two communities have many similarities and differences. Nima is
one of the largest low-income informal settlements, or slum areas, in Ghana, which extends
on 351.6 acres of sloping ground. The establishment of an American military base during
World War II opened up job opportunities, which attracted many people. The population
was further boosted by the Gold Coast troops after their return from serving in World War II
(Owusu et al. 2008). Poor migrants from West Africa, notably Wangaras, Zambramas,
Hausas and Fulanis, and internal migrants from other parts of Ghana, especially the
northern region, selected the area as a place of residence due to its low rent and land
availability for the construction homes (Essumuah and Tonah 2004; Yankson 2000). Much of
the housing in Nima is improperly planned although the Western part of the community is
better linked with road networks and has a better spatial lay out than the East. Buildings are
haphazardly built often without permits and often densely populated with 3 to 12 persons
in a room (Songsore 2003b). The housing structure is usually compound based (Yankson
2000), with an average of 80 persons per compound (Songsore 2003b). The economic
backgrounds of the inhabitants vary from high and middle income to low income earners.
However, the low income earners are in the majority, with most men being employed as
labourers and security men, while women are in petty trading (Owusu et al. 2008).

Old Fadama is a slum community in Accra that occupies 146 hectares of land along the
Odaw River and the Korle Lagoon, most of which has been reclaimed from the river and
lagoon through filling up of the water logged area with saw dust from the timber market
situated close to the community. An enumeration undertaken in 2009 shows that the area
has a total population of 79,684, with a population density of 2,424 persons per hectare
(Housing the Masses 2010). It is one of the largest informal settlements in Accra (Afenah
2010). Old Fadama was formed with the relocation of squatters from the Osu area to pave
way for the construction of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in Ghana around
1990, after settlers in the area had been relocated to a different location to be called New
Fadama (Housing the Masses 2010). The area was and continues to be a hub for a large
number of migrants from around the country, the majority of whom are young people from
the northern parts of the country. In the early 1980s, the community saw an increase in
population when people fled the Kokomba-Nanumba ethnic conflict and many moved into
this area. In terms of ethnic composition, the majority of households hail from the Northern
region of Ghana. The area is also home to a number of nationals from neighbouring

2
Our interviews indicated that the people who live here prefer to call the area ‘Old Fadama’ and contest the
negative connotations of their community being defined by crime and vice.

11
countries in the West African region. More people have moved to the area over the years
and continue to do so due to rural urban drift and housing affordability, which makes Old
Fadama very attractive to young adults in search of greener pastures, particularly young
females from the northern regions of the country who come to work in Accra as head
porters. A considerable number of residents are engaged in the small food markets, selling
items such as yaws, onions and tomatoes. There are a number of small economic
enterprises and services for residents, such as hairdressing, food production and
dressmaking (COHRE 2008). Most of the young men are engaged in the collection and sale
of electronic waste materials. Sanitation conditions are poor and as a result of its low lying
nature the area is prone to frequent flooding, which is further exacerbated by the absence
of a proper drainage system.

Table 1: Summary of distinguishing characteristics of Nima and Old Fadama

Characteristics Nima Old Fadama

Age of settlement Early 1940s Early 1990s
Location Centrally located on high ground Located closer to the lagoon and
prone to flooding
Historical origins Establishment of American Relocation of squatters from
military base during WWII, other parts of Accra; population
attracted initially return soldiers fleeing from ethnic conflict in
and later other migrants. northern region subsequently
swelled population numbers
Estimated population size 87,508 79,684
City authority recognition Legal settlement Illegal settlement
Upgrading intervention Benefitted from several None
interventions.
Housing and planning More durable compound houses Poor houses built mainly with
layout and better layout wood and poor/no layout.
Infrastructure and services Improved access to basic, but Poor except electricity
limited, infrastructure and services
Population Heterogeneous comprising intra- Mainly internal migrants from
regional migrants from West northern Ghana; increasingly
Africa sub region, internal attracting some intra-regional
migrants and a few indigenes migrants.

12
Figure 1: Map of the study communities, Old Fadama and Nima

Source: Centre for Remote Sensing and GIS (CERSGIS), University of Ghana, 2013

13
3.2 Methods of data collection and data analysis

The study employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches.

Primary data collection techniques included a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and
focus group discussions. Such a triangulation of several methods was deemed appropriate in
view of the strengths and weaknesses of individual methods (Castro et al. 2010; Creswell et
al. 2003).

Primary data was collected from migrants living in the two selected migrant communities in
Accra. Following an initial desk study, an exploratory study was undertaken in the two
communities, in order to gain a quick insight into the relevant issues and to review whether
a re-formulation of the research questions was necessary. After that, structured
questionnaires were administered to a sample of 239 migrants in total, 121 from Nima and
118 from Old Fadama. In the absence of an existing reliable sampling frame, a household
listing exercise was conducted in the two migrant communities and a recording of the
contacts of the household representatives (or heads) was made, to whom the
questionnaires were administered. Data was collected on the demographic characteristics
and economic status of each migrant household before and after migration.

The Institutional Review Board (1993) distinguishes between concurrent control designs and
historical control designs. In a concurrent control design, the group under investigation is
compared with another group that is made up of subjects who are not given the treatment
under study, or do not have a given condition, background, or risk factor that is the object of
study. In a historically controlled study, the present condition of subjects is compared with
their own condition on a prior regimen or treatment. In this study, after carefully reviewing
the literature on the use of control groups in the social sciences, an historical control design
was adopted, comparing the current well-being of the migrants with their economic status
before migrating to Accra.

While comparing the well-being of migrants’ households and non-migrants households

would have been very useful if, for example, this study was conducted in the place of origin,
this approach was not appropriate in the case of our current study, as the community of Old
Fadama started as a migrant community and therefore does not have ‘indigenes’ who could
have been selected as a control group. Selecting non-migrants outside the community under
study was also deemed inappropriate due to concerns regarding internal validity, as the
treatment and control groups are obviously not comparable at baseline (see Asfar et al.
2009). Again, given that our focus was on the difference between migrants’ well-being
before and after migration, the historical control design was found to be most appropriate,
and provided us with the opportunity to examine changes in migrants’ well-being after
migrating to Accra.

In-depth interviews were held with 14 key informants (such as traditional rulers, assembly
members, police officers and health officials) and 45 migrants in the migrant communities.
In addition to the questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews, two focus group
discussions were held in each of the two communities, one for men and one for women.
The aim of this approach was to provide a platform for the migrants to discuss how

14
migration has influenced their economic and social situations. For ethical reasons, all names
used in this paper are pseudonyms.

4. Results and Discussions

4.1 Socio-demographic characteristics of migrants

Table 2 shows the distribution of the 239 survey respondents according to specific socio-
demographic variables. About 56 per cent of respondents in Nima and 62 per cent of those
in Old Fadama were males. The age distribution of respondents ranged from 16 years to 79
years, with a mean age of 31.2 years and a standard deviation of 10.5. In the two
communities combined, the majority of the respondents (64.9 per cent) were in the 25-44
years age group. During in-depth interviews, some key informants explained that, as a result
of the difficulties associated with living and working in the slums, it is usually the youth and
energetic people who have moved to these urban areas. Some focus group participants
explained that very old migrants who can no longer cope with the tedious work in Accra are
more likely to go back to their villages where the cost of living is much lower. While 70 per
cent of respondents in Old Fadama were married, only 47 per cent of their counterparts in
Nima were married. The average number of children per respondent was 2; about 40 per
cent of respondents in Nima and 31 per cent of those in Old Fadama had no children. About
40 per cent of respondents in Nima and 15 per cent of those in Old Fadama had been living
in Accra for 12 years or more. The level of education among the survey respondents was
generally low. Only 6 per cent of those in Nima and 1 per cent of those in Old Fadama had
tertiary education.

Table 2: Socio-demographic characteristics of migrants

Characteristics of Respondents Nima Old Fadama

Male 68 (56.2%) 73 (61.9%)
Gender Female 53 (43.8%) 45 (38.1%)
Total 121 (100.0%) 118 (100.0)
15-24 24 (19.8%) 36 (30.5%)
25-34 44 (36.4%) 62 (52.5%)
35-44 30 (24.8%) 19 (16.1%)
Age 45-54 14 (11.6%) 1 (0.8%)
55-64 5 (4.1%) 0 (0.0%)
65+ 4 (3.3%) 0 (0.0%)
Total 121 (100.0%) 118 (100.0%)
Never married 56 (46.3%) 30 (25.4%)
Married 57 (47.1%) 83 (70.3%)
Co-Habitation 1 (0.8%) 3 (2.5%)
Marital Status
Divorced/Widowed 10 (8.3%) 1 (0.8%)
Missing 3 (2.5%) 1 (0.8%)
Total 121 (100.0%) 118 (100.0%)
0 48 (39.7%) 36 (30.5%)
Number of Living Children
1 11 (9.1%) 38 (32.2%)

15
 2 19 (15.7%) 23 (19.5%)
3 22 (18.2%) 14 (11.9%)
4 12 (9.9%) 3 (2.5%)
5 and above 9 (7.4%) 4 (3.4%)
Total 121 (100.0%) 118 (100.0%)
1 or less 5 (4.1%) 18 (15.3%)
Number of Years of 2-6 35 (28.9%) 45 (38.1%)
Residence in Accra 7-11 31 (25.6%) 29 (24.6%)
12-16 17 (14.0%) 16 (13.6%)
17+ 32 (26.4%) 2 (1.7%)
Missing 1 (0.8%) 8 (6.8%)
Total 121 (100.0%) 118 (100.0%)
No Education 30 (24.8%) 50 (42.4%)
Primary 29 (24.0%) 21 (17.8%)
Middle/JHS 31 (25.6%) 29 (24.6%)
Level of Education Voc/Tech/SHS/O'/A' Level 24 (19.8%) 14 (11.9%)
Tertiary 7 (5.8%) 1 (0.8%)
Missing 0 (0.0%) 3 (2.5%)
Total 121 (100.0%) 118
Source: Field Survey, 2012

4.2 Regions of origin of migrants

The majority of respondents (81 per cent of those in Old Fadama and 31 per cent of those in
Nima) had migrated from the Northen Region of Ghana. In Nima, however, a significant
proportion of migrants had migrated from the Eastern (19 per cent) and Volta (17 per cent)
regions. About 8 per cent of respondents in Nima and 9 per cent of those in Old Fadama had
migrated from towns outside Ghana, notably Niger, Mali, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. The fact
that the majority of migrants in these slums were from the Northern Region of Ghana does
not, however, suggest that people from other regions in Ghana do not migrate. Consistent
with the Mobility Transition Theory (see Skeldon 1997; Zelinsky 1971) and the Migration
Hump Theory (see Martin and Taylor 1996), which suggest that as regions develop
international migration increases, the relatively more developed region of Southern Ghana
tends to produce more international migrants (Litchfield and Waddington 2003; Mazzucato
et al. 2008). The cost of migration from Ghana to Europe or North America is so high that
most people from the Northern and Volta Regions, which are generally deprived, are unable
to afford it. Consequently, people from the Northern and Volta Regions are more likely to
migrate to the large towns in Ghana.

The dominance of people from the northern region in this study may also be explained by
migrants clustering. As discussed in section 2, various factors drive migrants to accumulate
in particular areas of the city, including social networks and exclusion from housing or
employment in indigenous neighbourhoods (Yaro et al. 2011). In the communities of this
study, social networks appear to be the main reason why migrants from northern Ghana
have clustered in Nima and Old Fadama. Most of the new migrants rely on their social
networks to provide initial accommodation and assistance in finding a job. Because these

16
networks are usually made through place of origin or kin relations, new migrants end up
living and working in areas with old migrants of the same origin or ethnicity. Over time,
migrant communities develop into cultural and institutional centres for transitional support
for migrants from new origins or different socio-economic backgrounds and ambitions
(Owusu et al. 2008; Yaro et al. 2011). New migrant communities also emerge when urban
settlements receive large influxes of migrants (e.g. as a result of conflict or resettlement
from land claimed by development projects).

4.3 The migration process

The majority of the respondents (68.2 per cent) reported that they had migrated to Accra
for employment opportunities. Other important reasons for migrating to Accra included
education (8.8 per cent) and family related reasons (8.4 per cent), which include
accompanying parents or spouses. When differentiated by gender (Table 3), women moved
for marriage much more often than men (11.2 per cent versus 2.1 per cent respectively),
while men moved for education much more than women (13.5 per cent versus 2 per cent
respectively). The observation that most of the migrants had migrated to Accra for job
related reasons is not surprising, given the fact that Accra is the most popular destination
for both highly skilled and unskilled job seeking youth in Ghana. As the case of Sanatu shows
(see Box 1), the majority of the migrants believed that they could only move out of poverty
by moving to Accra. Therefore, Accra remains the ‘city of hope’ for many people who grew
up in deprived areas.

Table 3: Main reason for migrating to Accra differentiated by gender

Reason for Migrating Gender of Respondent Total

to Accra Male Female
Education 19 (13.5%) 2 (2.0%) 21 (8.8%)
Family related 11 (7.8%) 9 (9.2%) 20 (8.4%)
To flee conflict 3 (2.1%) 2 (2.0%) 5 (2.1%)
Marriage 3 (2.1%) 11 (11.2%) 14 (5.9%)
Job related 97 (68.8%) 66 (67.3%) 163 (68.2%)
Others 8 (5.7%) 8 (8.2%) 16 (6.7%)
Total 141 (100.0%) 98 (100.0%) 239 (100.0%)
Source: Field Survey, 2012

17
 Box 1: Migrants perceptions about opportunities in Accra – the case of Sanatu

Sanatu is a 50 year old Dagomba migrant from Tamale in the Northern region of Ghana. She is a
single mother with two children. Without any formal education and having grown up in poverty,
Sanatu migrated to Old Fadama in 2001 with the sole aim of looking for money to meet the
educational and other needs of her children who were in school back in northern Ghana, and,
with a long term plan to put up a house to accommodate her parents and children. Sanatu’s
decision to come to Accra was supported by her mother but it was a friend who lent her money
to help with transportation. At the time of this research she was selling koko (porridge) and
kosie (local doughnut) in Old Fadama during the day; morning and afternoon. She decided to
come to Accra because in her view this is the only place where people can do some ‘good
business’ to become rich one day. Having lived in Accra for some years now, she thinks life is
better than in her area of origin. She still believes that she will one day get enough money to
establish a big restaurant.

Like Sanatu, many people moved from rural areas to Accra because of their belief that it is
the best place to raise money for the development of further business one day. The
movement of young people from northern Ghana to Accra, in particular, has been on the
rise since the 1980s (Grant 2009). This has been attributed to various factors, including
declining access to farmland, ethnic conflicts, environmental degradation in Northern Ghana
(van der Geest 2011), better job opportunities in Accra, and certain economic policies that
have made northern Ghana relatively poorer (Addai 2011; Awumbila 1997; Twumasi-Ankrah
1995). For other migrants, the pull of Accra was experienced through the lifestyles of
migrants who returned home for short periods, as stated by Hamza:

We used to see our area boys who earlier migrated to Accra here, and they would occasionally
come home, and their life was nice. They would come and you see that they are putting up
their own structures. Or sometimes, they will come and pull down old dilapidated rooms in
their fathers’ houses and put up concrete-block rooms. And they will furnish their rooms;
buying television sets, fridges, fans, set of room furniture, you know those things that every
young man will like to have in his room. So these were the people who motivated me to also
want to come to Accra’ (Hamza, 29 March, 2013).

The findings indicate that in many cases decisions to migrate to Accra were taken by the
entire family at the place of origin. Parents, especially fathers, were highly influential in the
decision to migrate, with about 77 per cent of respondents reporting that their fathers were
involved in the decision-making process. The case of Tsito (see Box 2), a 28 year old migrant
from the Volta region, shows how parents can significantly influence the migration of their
children as a poverty reduction strategy.

18
 Box 2: Influence of parents on decisions to migrate to Accra for job – the case of Tsito

Tsito is a 28 year old unmarried man living in Nima. He is a Junior High School graduate from
Mepe in the Volta Region of Ghana. He migrated from the Volta region to Accra in 2004. He
believes that his family was among the poorest in the community, as his father does not have
his own land for farming. After completing his Junior High School, Tsito wanted to remain in
the village to produce crops under the share cropping land tenure system, but his parents were
seriously against this plan. His father encouraged him to leave the village for Accra, despite not
having any relatives there. His father explained to him that if he remained in the village, he
would not have a ‘good future’. The father used his very poor economic condition to explain to
the young Tsito how poverty is very bad. During our in-depth interview, Tsito remembered that
his father once told him that ‘in Ghana all the rich people are in Accra’ and so he must move to
Accra at this youthful age. One day, Tsito joined his former classmate, who had moved to Accra
earlier and was visiting home. On arrival in Accra, Tsito worked as a driver’s mate. This position
provided him with the opportunity to learn how to drive and he is now a taxi driver. Tsito
regularly remits money to his parents back home. He has also brought two of his siblings to
Accra and his parents are now happy that the family’s financial situation has improved and
Tsito is happy he listened to his father’s advice to migrate to Accra.

Similar to the case of Tsito, our findings show that in many cases migration was encouraged
as a poverty reduction strategy. Parents encouraged the migration of their sons and
daughters in order to enhance the financial situation of the family at the place of origin. The
remittances sent home by migrants can help minimise the effects of economic shocks on
household welfare (Kwankye and Anarfi 2011). In this way, the young migrants serve as
insurers for their households (Siddiqui, 2012). On the other hand, there were a few cases
where young migrants left home without informing any of their relatives. One of such
stories was narrated by Muniratu, a mother of three, who reported that she ran away from
home without informing her relatives when she was thirteen years old. Such young people
who ran away without informing their parents were mainly influenced by friends.

4.4 Migrants living environments and access to basic services

As one would expect, most of the migrants were living in poor neighbourhoods and in poor
housing structures. As shown in Table 4, almost half of the respondents (42.2 per cent) lived
in a shack or other temporal structures (see plate 1). There are spatial variations in the
quality of housing units, with about 75 per cent of migrants in Old Fadama living in shacks,
against only 7 percent of their counterparts in Nima living in shacks. The migrants
acknowledged that their housing units are poor, but the relatively higher rents and the
requirement for several months’ rent advance payments in better neighbourhoods prevent
them from living in those neighbourhoods:

In Accra if you go to other suburbs apart from here [Fadama] to rent a room you have to pay
a huge sum of money for even a single room – it will cost about GH 800-1000 to rent a room
and here is the case where I was not even able to finance my trip to Accra. How then can I
raise this huge sum of money to rent a room? At Agbogbloshie [Fadama] rooms are less
costly, even you can get a space and what you need is to buy wood to put up the structure so
that you can be sleeping in it (Aza, 27 March, 2013) .

19
Table 4: Housing types used by migrants

Neighbourhood
Type of House Total
Nima Old Fadama
House/Apartment in residential area 1 (0.9%) 0 (0.0%) 1 (0.4%)
House/Apartment in slum 3 (2.7%) 1 (0.8%) 4 (1.7%)
Room in a house in residential area 56 (50.0%) 14 (11.9%) 70 (30.4%)
Room in a house in Slum 40 (35.7%) 14 (11.9%) 54 (23.5%)
Shack or other temp structure in slum 8 (7.1%) 89 (75.4%) 97 (42.2%)
Shack or other temp structure
elsewhere 1 (0.9%) 0 (0.0%) 1 (0.4%)
Other 3 (2.7%) 0 (0.0%) 3 (1.3%)
Total 112 (100.0%) 118 (100.0%) 230 (100.0%)
Source: Field Survey, 2012

Plate 1: Wooden shacks and kiosks serving as homes for migrants in Old Fadama.

The working environments were also very poor and generally unhygienic. Observation of the
area, indicated that the activities of the migrants have contributed to the deplorable state
of their living environments. This is especially the case in old Fadama where the e-waste
dealers have heavily polluted a nearby stream (see plate 2). Nevertheless, the majority of
respondents (96 per cent in Nima and 94 per cent in Old Fadama) do not think that their
economic activities are responsible for the unhygienic nature of their living and working
environments.

20
Plate 2: Dumping of refuse has resulted in the pollution of the Odaw River.

Apart from living in unhygienic environments, the migrants generally do not have access to
basic services (Table 5). About 92 per cent of those in Old Fadama and 60 per cent of those
in Nima do not have access to water within their residences. As a result, they buy water on a
daily basis from neighbours or use water from wells. Again, 94 per cent of the migrants in
Old Fadama and nearly 63 per cent of those in Nima do not have toilet facilities within their
residences. Lack of bathing facilities is also a major challenge, especially for those in Old
Fadama, where a very high proportion (88.6 per cent) do not have a bathhouse in their
residences. Consequently, these people have to use a public bathhouse, where they pay 50p
($.25) each time they have to bath (see plate 3). The majority of the respondents (88.3 per
cent), however, have electricity supply in their homes.

Table 5: Availability of basic services

Availability Of Services Nima Old Fadama Total

Within residence 33 (28.0%) 9 (7.7%) 42 (17.9%)
Within residence but not 14 (6.0%)
14 (11.9%) 0 (0.0%)
reliable
Not available in residence 71 (60.2%) 108 (92.3%) 179 (76.2%)
Water Total 118 (100.0%) 117 (100.0%) 235 (100.0%)
Within residence 42 (35.6%) 6 (5.1%) 48 (20.4%)
Within residence but not 2 (1.7%) 1 (9%) 3 (1.3%)
Toilet reliable
Not available in residence 74 (62.7%) 110 (94.0%) 184 (78.3%)
Total 118 (100.0%) 117 (100.0%) 235 (100.0%)
Within residence 103 (90.4%) 12 (10.5%) 115 (50.4%)
Bath House Within residence but not 4 (3.5%) 1 (0.9%) 5 (2.2%)
reliable

21
 Not available in residence 7(6.1%) 101 (88.6%) 108 (47.4%)
Total 114 (100.0%) 114 (100.0%) 228 (100.0%)
Within residence 107 (90.7%) 101 (86.3% 208 (88.5%)
Within residence but not 2 (1.7%) 13 (11.1%) 15 (6.4%)
Electricity reliable
Not available in residence 9 (7.6%) 3 (2.6%) 12 (5.1%)
Total 118(100.0%) 117 (100.0%) 235 (100.0%)
Source: Field Survey, 2012

Plate 3: Private bath houses for commercial purposes.

It is important to state that not only are these facilities generally unavailable, but the
migrants also end up paying more for these services than those in higher income
neighbourhoods. For instance, the average cost of 1000 gallons of water in Ghana is
80peswas (40 cents), but migrants pay 30pesewas (15 cents) per bucket, which is roughly 2
gallons. These poor migrants are also required to pay money each time they visit the toilet.
Consequently, people without money tend to defecate in a nearby bush, thereby further
contributing to the pollution of their living environment. City officials who were interviewed
indicated that the poor environmental conditions in these slums, coupled with limited
access to basic necessities, have created conditions for flooding and diseases such as
typhoid fever and cholera, thus confirming the findings from other studies that indeed many
migrants move towards heightened environmental risk, not away from it – often as part of
rural-urban migration (Foresight 2011). Srivastava (2005) reported similar scenarios in
India, where most poor internal migrants live in urban slums under unhygienic conditions.

According to Ratha et al. (2011), most poor internal and international migrants move to the
urban centres of developing countries to work in the informal sector. The city officials of
these urban places are expected to plan further development of these slums. However, in
many poor countries the rapid growth of development and infrastructure has not been able

22
to keep up with the even more rapid processes of urbanisation (Zulu et al. 2002). When city
officials fail to plan for their cities, migrants are always blamed and desperate actions are
often taken to evict them. In 2005, poor slum dwellers, mainly migrants, were evicted from
shanty towns in the Harare region of Zimbabwe, as a way of dealing with the unhygienic
conditions caused by the failure of city authorities (UNDP 2009). In Dhaka, Bangladesh,
about 60,000 poor people, mainly migrants, were forcibly evicted from the slums in 2007
(Ratha et al. 2011). The Ghanaian experience is similar to these cases, with migrants
repeatedly being harassed by the city authorities. The migrants in Old Fadaman, in
particular, are highly vulnerable to illegal government evictions, which are sometimes
violent, thereby causing insecurity. As city authorities still believe that the migrants will be
evicted one day, no attempt has been made to upgrade this community.

4.5 Migrant urban livelihoods and entrepreneurship

Despite living in deprivation, most of the migrants are involved in income generating
activities. Table 6 indicates that the majority (71.2 per cent) were working in the informal
sector at the time of the study, while 4.2 per cent were in the formal sector. This was
especially prevalent in Old Fadama, where nearly 84 per cent were working in the informal
sector, as they usually lacked skills needed for formal sector employment. This highlights
the significance of the informal sector for migrant livelihoods. Although the informal sector
is often seen as precarious, unregulated and lacking income security, it offers employment
opportunities for poor migrants.

The slums were booming with various forms of entrepreneurial businesses.

Entrepreneurship in the informal sector tends to be gendered. Women in both communities
were mainly working as petty traders, food venders, catering (chop bar) assistants, shop
assistants, and hair dressers. In addition, a significant number of young women in Old
Fadama were working as head porters (Kayayei) or plaiting hair. Men in both communities
were working as artisans, labourers in the construction sector, the operation of motor bikes
as taxis (okada), and other trades. A significant proportion of men in Old Fadama were also
involved in the collection and sale of metal scraps (i.e. e-waste business). The in-depth
interviews revealed that many migrants believe that they could not secure jobs in the
formal sector because, being migrants from rural areas, they often do not know ‘powerful
people’ who could link them to employers in both government and formal private firms.

Table 6: Employment status of Migrants

Employment Neighbourhood
Total
Status Nima Old Fadama
Formal 8 (6.7%) 2 (1.7%) 10 (4.2%)
Informal 68 (57.1%) 98 (83.8%) 166 (71.2%)
Student 33 (27.7%) 15 (12.8%) 48 (20.3%)
Unemployed 10 (8.4%) 2 (1.7%) 12 (5.1%)
Total 119 (100.0%) 117 (100.0%) 236 (100.0%)
Source: Fieldwork, 2012

Most of our respondents believed that they were earning adequate incomes. The e-waste
business, which involves salvaging materials from discarded electronic and electrical

23
equipment for sale to industries, appears to be one of the most profitable jobs in the slums,
especially in Old Fadama. This economic activity is mainly undertaken by male migrants
from the northern Ghana, Niger and Nigeria. A chain of e-waste related activities have
emerged in Old Fadama in recent years. There are four major chains of activity in the e-
waste business, namely collection, recycling, repair, refurbishment, and trading of metals
(Prakash et al. 2010) (see plate 4). Our study shows that this business is highly lucrative,
despite its risky nature, with many earning much more than they did in their home towns.
Our analysis also shows that their earnings were significantly than those of mid-level civil
servants. In this hierarchical e-waste business, those people who earn the lowest amount of
money are the scrap collectors, earning an average of 15 cedis ($7.50) daily. This amount is
higher than the salary of a lower level office clerk in the public service. E-waste
refurbishers, who are considered of higher ‘rank’ than collectors, reported that they earn
between 40 and 200 cedis (i.e. $20 and $100) daily. As shown by the case of Mashud (see
Box 3), some of the scrap dealers can earn as high as 400 cedis ($200) on a very good
business day. When one compares these earnings with what they could have obtained from
their rural areas, there is no question that migration has improved their earning capacity.

Box 3: Migrants in the e-waste business - the case of Mashud

Mashud is a 32 year old migrant from Nigeria. He has a wife and three children living in
Nigeria. Mashud first migrated from his village to Lagos and then later to Ghana, having
joined some friends who were returning to Ghana after visiting their families in Nigeria. He
came to Ghana in 2010. Before leaving Nigeria, the friends told him about the e-waste
business in Ghana. On arriving in Ghana, the friends gave him some informal training in this
business. After working with them for a year, he saved enough money to buy his own
container and some tools to start his own business. He is now an E-waste refurbisher who
buys old computers and sells the wires and other parts to a Chinese company in Tema.
Mashud reported that he earns an average daily salary of between 300 Ghana cedis ($150)
and 500 Ghana cedis ($250). He told our interviewers that within the few years that he has
worked in Ghana he has bought a taxi cab. He also bought a plot of land in Accra and hopes
to start the construction of a house by the end of this year. He knows at least two migrant
scrap dealers from Nigeria who have built their houses from the same business. Mashud also
remits between 400 and 800 Ghana cedis to his wife and parents back in Nigeria every
month. With these achievements, Mashud concluded that the e-waste business is the most
lucrative job, though he also admits that this job is tedious.

24
Plate 4: Migrants working in the e-waste business.

Petty trading and small food enterprises, in both Old Fadama and Nima, were also an
important source of income for a significant proportion of the migrants, especially the
women. Although some of the traders were still struggling with their businesses, they still
believed that they were earning higher incomes than what they could have obtained in their
home regions. Even the Kayayei, or head porters, which is a labour intensive activity,
reported much higher earnings in the city than in their areas of origin. Consistent with the
findings of Agarwal et al. (1997), most of these migrants reported that they were doing their
current jobs in the hope of raising adequate capital to invest in technology and equipment
to enter other less difficult and more profitable occupations. Many of those selling food on
table tops, for instance, expressed the hope of establishing a big restaurant in the future.
Even migrants involved in the ‘lucrative’ scrap business stated that they were saving money
to enter into ‘more decent jobs’. This ‘hope for better days’ is common among migrants.
The motivation for doing such jobs is the relatively higher income they earn compared to
what they could earn at home. While their jobs and livelihoods in Accra are not as
‘respectable’ as other higher income earning jobs in the urban economy, the little money
they save from their livelihoods contributes to sustain their families back home. Migration
may therefore provide opportunities for poverty reduction for both men and women, but
especially for women as highlighted below by a 50 year old migrant from northern Ghana:

It is now better for me than before migration to Accra, because back home in the North I was
not doing any work. Even though when I started working it was not moving on as well as I
expected, I am now happily working, able to save some money and remit some to my family
back in the north. [In addition] my child has benefited a lot from my migration to this place
because I am now able to provide for all his educational needs (Amina, 17 March, 2013).

25
Furthermore, some of the older women Old Fadama have seized the opportunity of starting
a day care centre, thus influencing certain structures by their own actions (Giddens 1984).
The e-waste business is also very innovative, as these migrants were not given any formal
training in the handling of e-waste. In Ghana, the use of mobile phones has expanded
businesses in both the formal and informal sectors. We found that our respondents in the
informal sector were also using mobile phones to enhance their work and well-being. Some
Kayayei, for instance, reported that they have customers who regularly call them on their
mobile phones whenever they need their services. All these innovations have helped
migrants to obtain the best from urban life. It is important to stress that urban life is,
however, quite stressful for some migrants, as their incomes may not be regular. However,
even under these circumstances, most of the migrants still believe that migration has
ultimately helped them economically (see Box 4).

Box 4: Irregular income, but improved wellbeing – the case of Muniratu

Muniratu was 12 years old when she migrated out of the Northern region of Ghana – first to Kumasi,
and later, to Old Fadama in Accra. She did not inform her parents about her plans to travel because
she knew they would not support it. Muniratu received a financial assistance from a man who she
used to complain to about the hardships in the North. Having stopped schooling, she first migrated to
Kumasi before coming to Accra. Muniratu shared her experience in Kumasi as follows: ‘I worked for
about five months in Kumasi, plaiting hair and doing ‘paa-oo-paa’ (carrying goods for a fee). Some of
my sisters were there earlier so when I was not plaiting I used to go out with them to carry goods. I
was a small girl so when they got a small load, they would allow me to carry it. If they got a big load
they would say I shouldn’t carry or else my chest would pain me’. Muniratu later came to Accra. She
first stayed with friends in Old Fadama and then moved out to stay with a man she later married.
Today Muniratu has three children and lives with her husband. Her main source of income is plaiting
hair. This does not offer a regular income. According to her, she can sit the whole day without getting
to plait one person’s hair. On a good day, however, she earns about GHC50 ($25). When asked if
migration has helped her, she stated: ‘Di so ka bi so (it’s better and it’s not better). I say this because
of the material items I bought that explains why I said its better. But in some other instances, it’s not
better, as If I were at home, maybe I could have gone to school’. She further stated that, despite all
the initial problems she went through, her life has improved. Migration has also helped her to acquire
some assets and save some money to support her children and relatives back home.

The case study indicates that urbanisation can present women with greater economic and
social opportunities, better access to services, greater independence and fewer economic
and cultural constraints. However, gender gaps in labour and employment, decent work,
pay, tenure rights, access to and accumulation of assets, personal security and safety, and
representation in formal structures of urban governance, show that women are often the
last to benefit from the prosperity of cities (Awumbila and Ardayfio-Schandorf 2008).

4.6 How has migration into urban areas impacted on households and individuals within
households?

4.6.1 Asset accumulation

To evaluate the impact of migration on poverty outcomes, assets accumulation was one of
the methods adopted. Related to asset accumulation are the patterns of savings and
remittances among the poor migrants. There is growing interest among researchers on the

26
relationship between migration and asset accumulation, and its positive impact on poverty
reduction. According to Osmani (2012), those who have been able to accumulate more and
move up the asset ladder are found to have a higher likelihood of moving out of poverty. He
added, however, that the dynamics of asset transition is shaped by a number of factors,
including access to credit, remittances, education, gender, and the scope for employment
opportunities. In addition, asset accumulation can be influenced by migrants’ plans to
return to their place of origin, that is, whether they view their stay at the place of
destination as temporary or permanent (Dustmann and Mestres 2010).

Recent studies indicate, among other things, that migrants’ well-being is closely linked to
the asset profiles of their households, with respect to asset types, value and productivity.
According to Fisher and Weber (2004), while the lack of income suggests that people
struggle to get by, the lack of assets can prevent them from getting ahead. This is because,
as Shapiro and Wolff (2001) note, assets provide a number of non-monetary benefits, like
home ownership, allowing household members the opportunity to enjoy location-linked
amenities such as better school, health facilities and other community services. In short,
assets are seen as important to human welfare in ways that go beyond current consumption
(Fisher and Weber 2004).

Both the survey and the in-depth interviews that were conducted in Old Fadama and Nima
indicate that respondents’ have an interest in asset accumulation, not only as a means of
survival but also to enhance their social status and their economic well-being. This is
illustrated by the fact that almost all interviews end with the migrant listing or recounting
the number of assets acquired since moving to Accra. Among the assets noted in the study
are durable household items, savings, remittances, and human capital.

Durable Household Assets

With regard to durable household assets, the respondents mentioned household electronic
items (refrigerators, televisions, videos, electric fans, stoves, etc.), land, and motor vehicles,
when comparing items they owned before and after migration (see Table 7). The analyses
indicates that (with the exception of bicycles, motorcycles, radios/recorders and land) a
larger proportion of households owned these items at the place of destination than they did
at the place of origin. It should be noted, however, that the relative differences in terms of
asset holdings before and after migration are related to income and location-linked factors.
For instance, access to electricity in the urban area compared to the rural area would
obviously allow households in the urban to own a number of electrical items. Also, greater
proportion of households living in rural areas (before migration) compared to urban areas
(after migration) are likely to own land due to the obvious need for land in a predominant
rural agricultural economy.

Table 7: Assets owned by migrants before and after migration (N=239)

Assets Number owning asset Number owning assets

before migration after migration
Stove 21 (8.8%) 29 (12.1%)
Refrigerator 69 (28.9%) 104 (43.5%)
Fan 111 (46.4%) 186 (77.8%)

27
Radio/Recorder 170 (71.1 ) 154 (64.4%)
Iron 81 (33.9%) 140 (58.6%)
Bicycle 121 (50.6%) 59 (24.7%)
Motor Cycle 65 (27.2%) 40 (16.7%)
Cell (mobile Phone) 98 (41.0%) 209 (87.4%)
TV 110 (46.0%) 169 (70.7%)
DVD/VCD Player 58 (24.3%) 128 (53.6%)
Washing machine 0 (0.0%) 3 (1.3%)
Land 68 (28.5%) 29 (12.1%)
Car/Truck/Bus 2 (0.8%) 11 (4.6%)
Source: Field Survey, 2012

A further analysis of assets owned suggests that the type of assets acquired by migrants was
influenced by the age of the migrant, gender, and the length of stay at the place of
destination. Many migrants, especially the young ones, initially stayed with kinsmen or
friends; as time went on, they rented their own places. At this initial stage, many are
interested in accumulating cash and do not indulge in the purchase of durable household
items. These ‘newly arrived’ individuals often add on to the existing overcrowding situation
in the household and are, therefore, keen to save their meagre incomes and become
independent as soon as possible. Thus, the limited spaces in the household, the limited
income of the new migrant, as well as the possible presence of these items in the
household, serve as a disincentive for migrants to acquire these household items. In
addition, new migrants may not be certain of their return plans and therefore find the
acquisition of durable household assets undesirable compared to keeping the cash. This
situation is, however, likely to change as migrants stay longer and start the process of
developing their own household.

Assets owned after migration were gendered. Apart from stoves, the proportion of men
owning selected assets was higher than proportion of women owning the same assets (see
Table 8). The gender gap in asset ownership was particularly high for DVD/VCD players,
vehicles, fan and TV sets. Shedding further light on the element of gender in terms of asset
holdings, in-depth interviews indicated that while men, both old and young, were
particularly attracted to household electronic items, such as television and LCDs/video
players, women had a particular interest in acquiring cooking utensils and wax prints. For
young and unmarried women, the acquisition of these assets is the first step towards
marriage. Older women also acquired cooking utensils and clothes as gifts and contributions
to their daughters’ marriage ceremonies. Many of these items would be sent directly to the
migrants places of origin, to be kept for future use.

Table 8: Proportion of migrants who currently own selected assets by sex

Assets Sex
Male (N=141) Female (N=98)
Stove 16 (11.3%) 13 (13.3%)
Refrigerator 65 (46.1%) 39 (39.8%)
Fan 116 (82.3%) 70 (71.4%)

28
Iron 90 (63.8%) 50 (51.0%)
Cell (mobile Phone) 124 (87.9%) 85 (86.7%)
TV 104 (73.8%) 61(62.2%)
DVD/VCD Player 86 (61.0%) 42 (42.9%)
Car/Truck/bus 9 (6.4%) 2 (2.0%)
Source: Field Survey, 2012

Household Savings
Fisher and Weber (2004) have argued that savings provide poor households with economic
stability, as they allow them to endure under conditions of income shortfalls and smooth
consumption. In addition, household savings can be used as business capital or possible
investment in the education of children. For poor migrant households, saving efforts can
often be impeded by factors such as: insufficient working capital; theft; loss of savings and
property through frequent fire outbreaks; ill-health of household members (especially the
young and the elderly) due to poor sanitation and frequent outbreak of diseases; and the
lack of infrastructure and services (including formal banking).

Analyses of the household survey indicated that over 76 per cent of respondents in both
communities had savings. There were no significant gender differentials in the proportion of
respondents with savings (77 per cent of males and 75 per cent of females). However, the
proportion was larger in Old Fadama, where 85 per cent had savings, versus nearly 67 per
cent in Nima. Chi square test indicates that the difference here is significant (X2= 11.701, P =
0.001 < 0.05). The large proportion of respondents with savings in Old Fadama may be due
to the constant threat of eviction by city authorities and the frequent outbreaks of fires in
the community. Under these conditions, people need to save in order to have a buffer
against these threats and to smooth consumption during periods of emergency.

Remittances
The positive association between migration and socio-economic improvement has largely
been conceived through the concept of remittances. The general argument is that
remittances can contribute to poverty reduction by providing migrant-sending households
the resources to smoothen consumption and invest in productive ventures. According to
Chiodi et al. (2010), this is one of the reasons that family members often combine resources
to finance the migration of one of their members, who, later on, repays by remitting back to
the household. However, if the migrant is unable to remit to his/her household and family,
the migration is largely conceived as having failed and the situation of the household is
exacerbated by the loss of productive labour. Studies indicate that such a situation may
make migrant-sending households worst off, especially if family labour is unavailable and
there are no alternative means to hire labour for farm work and other activities.

Table 9 reveals that households in Nima and Old Fadama engage in both in-transfer
(receiving) and out-transfer (sending) of remittances. However, the proportion of
households who received remittances was only about 24 per cent, whilst the proportion
who sent out remittances was as high as almost 78 per cent. Disaggregated by gender,
about 81.6 per cent of men and 78.1 per cent of women reported that they had sent
remittances within the past year. Statistical tests suggested that there is no significant
relationship between gender and sending out of remittances (X2 = 0.432, P = 0.511 > 0.05).

29
Table 9: Proportion of households receiving and sending remittances in Nima and Old
Fadama

Monies (non-loan) received from someone who Yes 57 23.8%

does not live in HH (in-transfers) No 178 74.5%
Non- response 4 1.7%
Total 239 100.0%
Monies (non-loan) sent to someone who does not Yes 186 77.8%
live in HH (out-transfers) No 46 19.3%
Non-Response 7 2.9%
Total 239 100.0%
Source: Field survey, 2012

A further disaggregation of the survey results by location (or community) indicates that the
number of households sending remittances tends to be relatively higher in Old Fadama
(92.2 per cent) than in Nima (68.1 per cent). This conclusion supports the findings from
other studies which indicate that remittances tend to dwindle over time, as migrants
become more established in their new places of destination and links with their places of
origin weaken (Regmi and Tisdell 2002). Again, the higher proportion of households in Old
Fadama sending out remittances may be due to the constant threat of eviction by city
authorities, compared to Nima which is regarded as part and parcel of the city of Accra.
Under this condition, it is realistic to expect a higher proportion of households in Old
Fadama to remit to their places of origin as a social security precaution measure.

The high proportion of migrants sending remittances to their areas of origin is an indication
that migrants often serve as insurers for their households. According to Kwankye and Anarfi
(2011), remittances in Ghana can help minimise the effects of economic shocks on
household welfare. The in-depth interviews revealed that even when the migrants
themselves felt migration had not been very helpful in moving out of poverty, sending
remittances home remained a top priority. Such remittances take several forms, including
money for payment of school fees and educational items for family members, food items,
clothes and footwear.

Various informal and formal channels were used for remitting to families and households,
including: friends and relatives; transport operators, mainly drivers who operate between
migrants’ places of origin and destination; and the use of formal banks, in those cases where
the recipient has a bank account. In other instances, the mode of money (and other)
transfers used could be a combination of both formal and informal channels, as the
following respondent noted:

I have a friend there [place of origin] who is a teacher so I put the money into his account, and
then he withdraws it and gives it to them [family/household], that is if he [friend] is around. In
cases when he is not around and has travelled I send the money to them [family/household]
through the station buses (Taka, 11 April, 2013).

30
4.6.2 Migration and well-being
Tables 10a and 10b provide migrants’ assessment of the current financial situation of their
households with regards to basic necessities. Table 10a suggests that over 75 per cent of the
migrants assessed their current financial situation as more than adequate or adequate.
Interestingly, 56.9 per cent attributed the improvement in their livelihoods to finding new or
better jobs in Accra, while 17.2 per cent attributed it to a new business that they had
started in Accra. The proportion of migrants who assessed their households’ current
financial situation as more than adequate/adequate was, however, relatively lower for Old
Fadama (65.2 per cent) than for Nima (75 per cent). The difference may be due to the
relatively better public infrastructure and services in Nima compared to Old Fadama. As
noted earlier, many households in Old Fadama, as opposed to Nima, do not have in-house
services such as water, lavatories, bathrooms, etc., thus have to access these services from
private vendors or providers in the community. However, accessing services such as water
from private vendors is expensive as the migrant households cannot enjoy subsidies
provided by the state for some of these services. These reasons may partly account for the
differences observed between the two communities’ assessment of the current financial
situation of their households. As shown in Table 10b, there is no significant relationship
between gender and assessment of the current financial situation (X2 = 1.011, P = 0.799>
0.05). About 76 per cent of men and 73 per cent of women reported that their current
financial situation is adequate or more than adequate.

Table 10a: Migrants’ assessment of their current financial situation by Location (%)

Current Financial situation Nima Old Fadama Total

More than adequate 33.3 12.7 23.1
Adequate 51.7 52.5 52.1
Just adequate 10.0 17.8 13.9
Inadequate 5.0 16.9 10.9
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number of Respondents 120 118 238
Source: Field Survey, 2012

Table 10b: Migrants assessment of their current financial situation by sex (%)
Current Financial situation Male Female
More than adequate 24.3 21.4
Adequate 52.1 52.0
Just adequate 12.1 16.3
Inadequate 11.4 10.2
Total 100.0 100.0
Number of Respondents 140 98
Source: Field Survey, 2012

Households’ assessment of the overall quality of life after moving to Accra is revealed in
Table 11a and 11b. The Tables indicates that an overwhelming proportion of households

31
surveyed, nearly 88 per cent, assessed their overall household life as improved a
lot/somewhat improved.

Table 11a: Assessment of overall life of household after moving to Accra by location (%)
Responses Nima Old Fadama Total
Improved a lot 50.9 48.2 49.6
Somewhat improved 40.5 36.0 38.3
Remained the same 3.4 6.1 4.8
Somewhat deteriorated 4.3 8.8 6.5
Deteriorated a lot 0.9 0.9 0.9
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number of respondents 116 114 230
Source: Field Survey, 2012

11b: Assessment of Overall Life of Household after Moving to Accra (%) by Sex
Responses Male Female
Improved a lot 47.9 29.2
Somewhat improved 37.9 56.3
Remained the same 9.3 5.2
Somewhat deteriorated 4.3 9.6
Deteriorated a lot 0.7 0.0
Total 100.0 100.0
Number of respondents 140 98
Source: Field Survey, 2012

Table 11a also reveals that 7.4 per cent of households assessed the overall quality of life of
their households as somewhat deteriorated/deteriorated a lot after moving to Accra. In
other words, for these households their overall life condition in Accra is worse than before
migrating. Largely due to the earlier points made on living conditions, a relatively higher
proportion of households in Old Fadama (almost 10 per cent) assessed their overall life
situation to have deteriorated, compared to just over 5 per cent in Nima. However, these
spatial variations are not statistically significant (X2 = 3.017, P = 0.555 > 0.05). As shown in
Table 11b, men were more likely than women to report that their financial situation has
improved a lot after moving to Accra (47.9 per cent versus 29.2 per cent). The proportion
that reported that financial situation has deteriorated or somewhat deteriorated after
moving to Accra was higher among women than men (9.6 per cent versus 5.0 per cent). The
chi square test, however, shows that these gender differences in the assessment of the
financial situation are not very significant (X2 =13.439, p =0.09> 0.05). We also found no
significant relationship between length of residence in Accra and assessment of overall well-
being after migration.

The results thus indicate that, irrespective of community of residence, gender and duration
of stay, the majority of these poor migrants believed that the overall well-being of their
households has improved after migrating to Accra. Understandably, not all migrants have

32
migrated out of poverty, or believe they are on their way out of poverty. A few of our
respondents reported that life in Accra is too difficult for them. However, as indicated in the
statement below, the majority of the migrants still believe that migration to Accra enables
them to support many people at home:

Migration has been helpful to me based on the things that I told you I have gotten. And even
though migration has not improved my education, through migration I have been able to
continuously support the education of my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews at home
(Hamza, Old Fadama).

Like Hamza, many respondents indicated how much they are supporting family members
and relatives back home through remittances, by upgrading their economic status, helping
to pay the educational fees or medical bills of a family member, or changing the structural
face of the house.

5. Conclusion and Policy Implications

Although rural-urban migration to Accra is not a new phenomenon, the recent increase in
numbers, and the resulting pressure on resources such as employment and housing, has led
to a largely negative policy position of government, municipal and metropolitan authorities
on rural-urban migration and the development of slums in Ghana. Rural-urban migration is
typically seen as creating pressure on urban infrastructure, environment and employment,
and there is an underlying assumption that the phenomenon is linked to rising levels of
urban poverty. Therefore, it is a widely held belief that rural-urban migration cannot lead to
positive outcomes for migrants, their families, or their areas of origin or destination. With
poorly paid jobs in the informal sector of the city’s economy, many migrants are unable to
afford the high housing rental charges. Renting decent accommodation is further
complicated by the practice whereby homeowners demand 2-3 years rent in advance.
Though this practice is illegal, it is a widespread phenomenon largely due to the prevailing
high demand for housing against a sluggish housing supply in the city of Accra.
Consequently, poor and new migrants seeking foothold in the city have no choice but to
settle in poorly planned, overcrowded and ecologically-sensitive areas.

The Accra metropolis is not only confronted with the pressures from its residents, but also
with the pressures of being a city at the forefront of globalisation. A number of international
actors – including Ghanaian return migrants and the Diaspora; international NGOs and civil
society organisations; multi-national companies, especially in the mining and extractive
industry; and West African migrants (growing numbers due to civil strives and failing
economies) – all seeking a foothold in Accra. This situation has resulted in increasing scarcity
of land, and the skyrocketing of land and housing prices. Thus, while early informal
settlements such as Nima were located in prime and good sites conducive to human
habitation, recent settlements such as Old Fadama are located on public land and in poor
and ecologically-sensitive areas not particularly conducive to human habitation. As a result,
this situation brings city authorities in direct conflict with recent residents of informal
settlements, who are subject to the constant threat of eviction.

33
Despite the neglect of informal settlements such as Nima and Old Fadama by city authorities
and the state, in terms of infrastructure and services, migrants continue to flood these
communities. Using their own ingenuity, they build houses and create jobs in the informal
sector, order to survive and live in Accra. This study notes that a large proportion of
households save money and send remittances (out-transfers). This way, they contribute to
the development of the human capital of their households and families, particularly through
investment in education. The study found that about 88 per cent of households surveyed
assessed their overall household well-being to have improved since migrating to Accra. Thus
although migration is not without its sacrifices, the majority of migrants – despite living in a
harsh environment, with little social protection – perceived that their overall well-being had
been enhanced by migration.

Yet, development policies, such as the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategies I and II, (NDPC
2001, 2005), the current Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA)
(GoG/NDPC 2009), and the National Urban Policy Framework and its Action Plan (2001),
provide little support for rural-urban migration in Ghana, and poor migrants are not
recognised as a vulnerable group in the country’s draft Social Protection Strategy
framework. These policies continue to regard rural-urban migration as negative, largely
leading to an increase in urban poverty and therefore urge the need to reduce rural-urban
migration (GoG/NDPC 2009: 13). As shown by our findings, these viewpoints can be
problematic as they are often based on a very crude method of measuring poverty, via a
head count of the poor, and fail to provide a holistic assessment of the dynamics behind the
movement of poor people to urban areas, such as access to more remunerative
opportunities and the beneficial impact that this is having on their families. Therefore, we
urge the need for a more balanced and nuanced understanding of the inter-linkages
between causes and impacts of rural-urban migration and its role in poverty reduction.
Indeed, conclusions from the present study, and other studies such as Cavalcanti (2005) and
Ravallion et al. (2007), suggest that movement to cities (rural-urban migration) might be
associated with reduction in overall poverty and improvements in general well-being.

These findings raise a number of policy issues related to migration, urbanisation and
poverty, which require the following policy responses:

Growing incidences of urban informal settlements and the need for upgrading:
Though existing national policy documents such as the National Urban Policy Framework,
2012 and Draft Migration Policy, recognise rural-urban migration and its impact on
urbanisation as inevitable, policies at the city level continue to discourage rural dwellers
from moving to Accra. Examples of policies that indirectly and directly control migration to
the city include the ‘decongestion exercise’, which has been implemented in the last
decades, and numerous attempts to provide female potters from northern Ghana with
artisanal trade, with the explicit intent of resettling them back to their places of origin.
However, these policies are bound to fail, unless spatial inequalities in development are
addressed, because – as demonstrated in this study – rural-urban migrants hold the view
that despite the harsh conditions of urban life their households are still better off under
conditions of migration. Consequently, slum upgrading becomes an imperative condition
requiring urgent attention by the state. Neglecting informal urban communities would not
simply deter rural-urban migrants from settling in these areas, as the existing conditions

34
give them no other choice but to settle there. Past interventions undertaken in Nima clearly
suggest that the living conditions of communities like Old Fadama can be improved.

Promote public rental and social housing schemes:

Related to slum upgrading is the issue of providing decent and affordable housing to the
poor and low-income households. Many of the challenges faced by poor rural-urban
migrants in Nima and Old Fadama are related to housing. Therefore, state is being
encouraged to partner with the private sector in order to promote rental housing for the
poor and low-income households. Already in place pilot housing projects for the poor, such
the UN-Habitat housing upgrading project in Amui Djor, Ashaiman, suggest that it is possible
to provide decent and affordable housing to low-income households. These pilot
interventions need to be up-scaled at city and national levels.

Address contradictory policy response at national and city levels:

Even though national level policies clearly call for urban renewal and upgrading, they are yet
to be adequately translated into policy implementation measures on the ground. As a result,
city authorities of Accra continue to pursue slum clearance under the disguise of ‘city
decongestion exercises’. As noted in the study, increasing land scarcity and high land prices
have resulted in recent informal settlements such as Old Fadama, which are increasingly
situated in ecologically-sensitive, flood-prone areas and on vacant public lands. With weak
development control and regulation regimes of city government, these settlements develop
very quickly, and only attract the attention of city authorities at a much later stage. In the
Accra Metropolitan Assembly, a special taskforce has been established instructed to clear
areas of the city (including slums) which city authorities see as ‘undesirable’. However,
within the context of Ghana’s democratic rule, and citizens and NGOs’ activism, poor urban
communities are fighting back by resisting city authorities’ intentions and actions for
demolition. A typical case is Old Fadama, where through efforts of the local community and
NGOs demolition attempts have been resisted.

Promote rural and regional development:

The present pattern of migration is due to skewed distribution of assistance and the lack of
serious attention given to rural and agricultural development. Attempts should be made to
promote rural and broad-based regional development in the long-run, in order to reduce
spatial inequalities. Such policy measures should include the promotion of small and
medium-sized towns across Ghana as alternative centres to rural-urban migrants.

Support informal sector:

The urban informal sector provides the bulk of jobs and income to many Ghanaians
(including poor rural-urban migrants), particularly in the case of informal settlements.
However, urban planning in Ghana hardly takes into account the needs of the informal
sector, especially on the issue of space and supporting infrastructure and services. This
frequently results in operators of the informal sector clashing with city authorities.
Measures to support the informal sector should include the upgrading of markets like the
Agbogbloshie and Nima markets, which serve the job and income needs of migrants in Old
Fadama and Nima respectively.

35
Implement existing policies on local and urban development:
The findings of this study suggest a clear need for effective implementation of existing
policies on local and urban development. Examples of such policies include: the
Decentralisation Policy; the National Urban Policy; the draft National Migration Policy; the
National Policy Framework and Operational Guidelines for Street Naming and Property
Addressing System; and the draft National Housing Policy. The full implementation of these
policies will address many of the issues associated with the pull and push factors of rural-
urban migration in Ghana.

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About the Migrating out of Poverty Research Programme Consortium

Migrating out of Poverty is a research programme consortium (RPC) funded by the UK’s Department
for International Development (DFID). It focuses on the relationship between migration and poverty
– especially migration within countries and regions - and is located in five regions across Asia and
Africa. The main goal of Migrating out of Poverty is to provide robust evidence on the drivers and
impacts of migration in order to contribute to improving policies affecting the lives and well-being of
impoverished migrants, their communities and countries, through a programme of innovative
research, capacity building and policy engagement. The RPC will also conduct analysis in order to
understand the migration policy process in developing regions and will supplement the world
renowned migration databases at the University of Sussex with data on internal migration.

The Migrating out of Poverty consortium is coordinated by the University of Sussex, and led by CEO
Professor L. Alan Winters with Dr Priya Deshingkar as the Research Director. The other core partners
are: the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) in Bangladesh; the Centre for
Migration Studies (CMS) at the University of Ghana; the Asia Research Institute (ARI) at the National
University of Singapore; the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at the University of the
Witwatersrand in South Africa; and the African Migration and Development Policy Centre
(AMADPOC) in Kenya.

Migrating out of Poverty

Arts B, University of Sussex
Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9QN,
United Kingdom

tel: +44 (0)1273 873535

email: [email protected]
web: http://migratingoutofpoverty.dfid.gov.uk/
twitter:@migrationrpc

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