The International Conference on Migration in Africa (ICMA) hosted by the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa (SIHMA) and the Institute for Social Development at UWC, on 3 December 2014 brought together local, African and international scholars, academics, researchers, practitioners, professionals, policy makers and NGO representatives and funding bodies to discuss issues relating to human mobility in Africa. The topics included south-south migration, the nexus between migration and development, irregular migration and reintegration of returnee migrants.

1. Human mobility in GHANA
Prepared by
Dr. Edmond Agyeman
Centre for African Studies
University of Education, Winneba
&
Dr. Mary Boatemaa Setrana
Centre for Migration Studies
University of Ghana, Accra
Cape Town, 03 /12/2014

2. OUTLINE
Introduction
History of Ghanaian Migration: Key Trends
Contemporary trends in Human Mobility
Ghana’s Migration Policies and Legislations: Overview
Stakeholders in Migration Governance
Assessment of Migration Governance
Conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION
Purpose of the Project
Four country study to have an idea about human
mobility dynamics in these countries
Methodology
 Study countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Angola and South Africa)
 Desk Review (UNDP, World Bank, Academic Journals etc)
 Key informant interviews

4. HISTORY OF GHANAIAN MIGRATION: KEY TRENDS

5. HISTORYOF GHANAIAN MIGRATION: KEY
TRENDS
Pre-independence migration
 Large scale immigration to Ghana from Neighbouring African
countries
 Large scale internal migration from Northern Half to the Southern
Half of the country
 Immigration of Indians and Lebanese
 To feed the colonial economy

6. HISTORYOF GHANAIAN MIGRATION: KEY
TRENDS
 Post-independence migration
- Transformation of Ghana into a major migrant sending country
- first towards neighbouring countries (Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire)
- later towards Europe, North America and Asia after the 1980s
- Departure of Labour Migrants from Ghana (Alliance Compliance Order 1969)
- Arrival of Refugees and Asylum seekers from neighbouring countries
- Post 1990s return of Labour migrants, immigration of foreign investors and
significant presence of Chinese

7. CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN HUMAN MOBILITY
immigration

8. IMMIGRATION: TOTAL NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Total number of immigrants
Nationality
Source: GSS, 2013
Total Number of immigrants by country of origin (2013)
 Total Number of Immigrants
for 2013
:600,049
 % of total population
:2%
 % of 2000 total population
: 3.9%

9. IMMIGRATION: REFUGEES
16,500
16,000
15,500
15,000
14,500
14,000
13,500
13,000
12,500
12,000
Total number of Refugees
2009 2010 2011 2012
Year
Source: UNHCR 2014a
Distribution of refugees between 2009 and 2012
 Total Number Refugees in
Ghana (2014)
:18,681
 Main Countries of Origin:
Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia
 Causes of their movement
- escaping armed conflicts
- violence in their home
countries

10. IMMIGRATION: ASYLUM SEEKERS
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
Number of Asylum Seekers
2009 2010 2011 2012
Year
Source: UNHCR 2014a
Distribution of Asylum Seekers between 2009 and 2012
 Total Number Asylum Seekers
(2014)
:1,914
Main Countries of Origin:
Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan
 Majority are from Cote d’Ivoire
- although Cote d’Ivoire was once
a receiving country

11. IMMIGRATION: LABOUR MIGRANTS
Persons Seeking work for the first time
Other
Domestic employee
Apprentice
Contributing family worker
Casual Worker
Self Employed
Employee
10.9%
65.6%
3.4%
0.4%
0.8%
1.4%
14.7%
2.8%
Economically Active
Economically Active Immigrants Source: GSS, 2013 by Sex and Employment Status (2010)
Determinants of labour immigration
 Constitutional Rule in 1992
 Stable political environment
 economic improvement

12. TOURISTS AND VISITORS
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Status of tourism indicators between 2005-2011
428.5
497.1
586.6
698.1
802.8
1,080.20
931.2
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Arrivals (in 000)
Years
Source: Ghana Tourist Board (cited in ISSER, 2013)
 Ghana has interesting
destinations eg: Colonial
castles, national parks,
festivals, etc.
 The Ebola may have had
negative impact on tourism in
2014

13. REPATRIATION OF FOREIGN NATIONALS
2010 Repatriation of Foreign Nationals from Ghana
58
15
7
3 3 3
23
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Chinese Nigerian Bangladeshi Sri-Lankan Sudanese American Others
Frequencies
Source: GIS 2010
Country of Origin
 112 foreign nationals repatriated
 Major countries of origin
China, Nigeria,
 Migrants have been repatriated
for various offences.
 Eg. Fake documentation,
unauthorized economic activities

14. CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN HUMAN MOBILITY
Emigration of Ghanaians

15. EMIGRATION: TOTAL NUMBER OF EMIGRANTS
Total Number of emigrants by destination (2013)
Oceania
Asia
America (North, South/Caribbean)
Europe
Africa other than ECOWAS
Other ECOWAS National
Source: GSS, 2013
6.8
3.1
0.5
0.9
1.7
0.6
1.5
7.8
3
10.4
37.7
23.6
2.3
Cote d’Ivoire
Burkina Faso
Togo
Gambia
Sierra Leone
Liberia
Nigeria
(%)  Total Number of Ghanaian
emigrants for 2013
:250,624
 There is a shift from
neighbouring African states as
the main countries of destination
to European and Northern
American destinations

16. SEX COMPOSITION OF GHANAIAN EMIGRANTS
 More than half (64%) of
Ghanaian emigrants are males
 One third (36%) are females
 However, in the Netherlands,
Canada and Germany Ghanaian
female migrants outnumber
males
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
Male
Female

17. EMIGRATION: REFUGEES
Source: UNHCR 2014a
Distribution of refugees between 2009 and 2012
14628
19922 19786
23922
2009 2010 2011 2012
 Ghanaian economic migrants
use the refugee and asylum
channel to gain legal acceptance
in destination countries
Major Countries of destination:
Italy, UK, Ireland, Canada,
 Causes of their movement
- for better opportunities

18. EMIGRATION: ASYLUM SEEKERS
Distribution of Asylum Seekers between 2009 and 2012
804
Source: UNHCR 2014a
1205
1960
2849
2009 2010 2011 2012
Countries of destination:
Italy, UK, Canada, Ireland
 Causes of their movement
- for better opportunities

19. EMIGRATION: LABOUR MIGRANTS
Source: GSS, 2013
76%
14%
6%
4%
Employed Unemployed Student Other
Reasons for migrating
-Improve financial, human
and social capital.
 76% of Ghanaian Emigrants are
employed

20. SEX COMPOSITION OF LABOUR EMIGRANTS
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
Source: GSS 2013
 The number of females who are
unemployed is 4.3% more than
their male counterparts.
 The percentage of males who
are employed is 6% more than
the females
125,637
8,828
20,863
4,948
65,382
6,517
14,321
4,127
0
Employed Unemployed Student Other
Male Female

21. IRREGULAR MIGRATION: FORCED RETURN
24.2
Ghanaian Deportees and countries of destination (2010)
2.91
1.4
5.18
2.81
1.51
5.4
7.13
1.72
3.02
10.7
2.48
1.08
2.81
8.81
1.08
3.89
13.72
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Others
South Korea
Senegal
Saudi Arabia
Japan
Belgium
Egypt
Israel
Spain
Libya
USA
South Africa
Canada
Denmark
Italy
Netherlands
Germany
United Kingdom
Source: GIS, 2010
percentages
 Total number as at 2010 by GIS:
925
 Major Countries of destination:
UK, Israel, Saudi Arabia

22. RETURN MIGRATION
UK, 41
Italy, 19
Israel, 3
Germany, 7
USA, 12
The Netherlands, 6
Others, 12
, 0
Source: Setrana and Tonah, 2014
 There is relatively little
information on return migration to
Ghana

23. Source: ISSER, 2013
REMITTANCES
 Amount of remittances to Ghana
$163 million (IOM, 2014)
 Recipients of remittances:
 Individuals
 NGOs
 Purpose of remittances:
-invest in businesses
-welfare of families
-consumption

24. TRAFFICKING AND SMUGGLING
 Ghana is described as a country of origin, transit and destination for men,
women and children exposed forcefully to labour and sex trafficking.
Main destination Countries
Nigeria; Cote d’Ivoire; Burkina Faso; The Gambia; South Africa
Israel; Syria; Lebanon; The United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia
Ghana consistently has been in Tie 2 since 2010 to 2013 (TIP Report, 2013).
- The government of Ghana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking
Rescued Victims:
82 Nigerian and 41 Ghanaian victims;’ and detained 10 Nigerian and 6
Ghanaian suspected trafficking offenders (TIP Report, 2013).

25. OVERVIEW OF Ghana’s MIGRATION POLICIES AND LEGISLATION

26. MIGRATION POLICIES AND LEGISLATIONS
National
Migration
Policy
National
Legislation on
Migration
• Immigration Act 2000 (Act
573)
• Citizenship Act, 2000 (Act
591)
• Other Legal Instruments
• The Alien Act of 1963 (Act
160)
International
Legal
Instruments
• The 1951 UN Refugee
Convention and the 1967
Protocol.
• The 1990 African Charter on
the Rights and Welfare of the
Child.
• The 1981 African Charter
on Human and People’s
Rights etc.
Regional
Legislative
Instruments
• ECOWAS Protocol on Free
Movement of Persons, Residence
and Establishment
• The Convention Regulating
Inter-State Road Transportation
within the ECOWAS sub-region
of 1982
• ECOWAS Political Declaration
and Regional Plan of Action
against Trafficking in Persons of
December 2001

27. STAKEHOLDERS IN MIGRATION GOVERNANCE

28. GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS, AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS
Governmental Institutions,
Agencies and Departments
Ministry of
Interior
Migration
Unit
Ghana
Immigration
Service
Ghana Refugee
Board
Ministry of
Tourism
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Regional
Integration
Diaspora Affairs Bureau
Ministry of
Employment and
Labour Relations
Labour Migration
Unit
Ghana
Statistical
Service
Other
Government
institutions eg.
Bank of Ghana

29. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS
INTERNATIONAL
ORGANISATION FOR
MIGRATION (IOM)
Provides technical
and logistic support
to Ghana
Government on all
migration and
development issues.
International
Organisations/
Institutions
UNITED NATIONS
HIGH COMMISSION
FOR REFUGEES
(UNHCR)
Provides technical,
expert and logistic
support to all
refugee and asylum
matters in Ghana.
OTHER
INTERNATIONAL
ORGANISATIONS,
NGOs AND CSOs
eg: ILO, UNDP,
UNFPA, the ECOWAS
and the AU, The
Catholic and Other
Church Groups.

30. ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
Academic
and
Research
Institutions
Centre for Migration
Studies (CMS), University of
Ghana
Regional Institute for
Population Studies
(RIPS), University of
Ghana
Institutes and Centres for
African Studies eg. Centre
for African Studies,
University of Education

31. ASSESSMENT OF MIGRATION GOVERNANCE

32. ASSESSMENT OF MIGRATION GOVERNANCE
COORDINATION
Activities of ministries, agencies
and other important stakeholders
working on migration are usually
on smaller scale, not adequately
represented, lack consistency and
sometimes overlap each other.
ASSESSMENT
OF MIGRATION
GOVERNANCE
IN GHANA
CONTINUITY AND
COHERENCE
lack of political will on the
part of incumbent
governments to continue with
policies and programmes
drawn up by previous
governments has generated
policy inertia and
incoherence.
MIGRATION AND
DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
Too many ministries and institutions
involved in migration issues in the
country at the moment, without clear
demarcation of competences and
boundaries.
POLICY
IMPLEMENTATION
This has been blamed on lack
of political will, lack of
expertise on migration issues,
corrupt officials, insufficient
funding and improper
institutional structures.

33. conclusion

34. MAIN FINDINGS
 Ghana remains both a migrant origin and a migrant destination country.
 Neighboring African countries, particularly Nigeria and Cote D’Ivoire are
gradually fading out as the main destination for Ghanaian immigrants.
 There is increasing presence of Asians esp. Chinese in Ghana
 Little is known about the economic impact of foreigners in the country.

35. KEY RESEARCH ISSUES AND GAPS
1) ETHICAL AND HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
- The level of deportation and repatriation of Ghanaian migrants’ overseas and immigrants in
Ghana is quite significant.
- Much of this has often been blamed on irregular migration and security concerns of
destination countries.
2) IMPACT OF
EMIGRATION/IMMIGRATION ON
DEVELOPMENT
- The focus should not only be on
Ghanaians and the Diaspora
- Impact of Immigrants on Ghana’s
economy and environment has to
be assessed
3) REGIONAL AND ASIAN
IMMIGRATION
- knowledge gap on regional
migration dynamics
The need to map the flows (origins,
destinations and stock), and assess
impact on regional peace, security,
economic development and the
regional integration effort.
4) GENDER AND FAMILY ISSUES
- Knowledge gap on gender and
family issues
For Example: it will be very
interesting to understand how
gender, family and trafficking
issues are related in Ghana and in
the West African coast in general.

36. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION