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. CENTRE FOR MIGRATION STUDIES,
LEGON
HARNESSING THE CONTRIBUTION OF GHANAIAN
TRANSNATIONAL MIGRANTS TO DEVELOPMENT IN
GHANA THROUGH ENHANCING THEIR INFORMAL
SOCIAL PROTECTION SOURCES
DELALI MARGARET BADASU

2. OUTLINE
• Introduction
• Remittance flows as Evidence of contribution
of migration to development
• Why Enhance Informal Sources of Social
Protection for Migrants as Means of
Harnessing Remittance Flows?
• Policy Recommendations

3. INTRODUCTION
 In 2013, the number of international migrants worldwide
was 232 million.
 Indicating an increase from 175 million in 2000 and 154
million in 1990.
 Between 1990 and 2000, the international migrant stock
grew by an average of 1.2 per cent per year.
 In 2013 international migrants accounted for about 3.2 per
cent of the world population compared to 2.9 per cent in
1990.
Source: UNDESA, 2010; 2013

4. INTRODUCTION contd.
• This low percentage of world’s population who are
international migrants accounts for little attention
given to migration in development planning and
practice?
• Situation changing despite a lingering debate on the
migration-development nexus
• Last decade seen increasing interest of governments
governments in placing migration in their
development agenda, eg. Euro-African Dialogue on
Migration
• Migration issues to be addressed in post-MDGs era;
and is appropriate

5. Sample Statistics on levels of
• US$2 billion remittances were received in developing countries in
1970 (Gammeltoft, 2002 and World Bank, 2011).
• While about $325 billion were received in 2010 (Gammeltoft, 2002
and World Bank, 2011).
• Uganda, for instance, had remittances rise from $80 million in 1991
to $415 million in 1996 (Adepoju, 2008).
• Ghana’s remittances had risen from about $1.3 billion in 2004 to
about $2 billion in 2008 (Bank of Ghana, 2010).
• These exclude informal transfers and suggest that actual totals are a
lot higher .
remittances

6. Resilience of remittances across all
regions
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
-2%
Developing
countries
East Asia and
Pacific
Europe and
central Asia
Latin America
and carribean
Middle-East
and North
Africa
South Asia Sub-Saharan
Africa
2010
2011e
2012f
2013f
2014f
Source: Ratha, 2012

7. Top remittance receiving countries,
2011 ($ million)
58 57
24 23
12 12 11 9 8 8
Source: Ratha, 2012

8. Top remittances recipient countries
(As % of GDP, 2010)
31
29
25
23
21
20 20 20
17
16
Source: Ratha, 2012

9. ODA, Remittance and FDI as a percentage of
GDP in Ghana (1990 – 2003)
Source: Addison, (2004) and
Bank of Ghana, (2010)

10. WHY SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR
INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS?
• Migrants have atypical life-cycle, may face social and
economic risks and lack social capital
• Migrants move between distinctively regulated labour
markets and social protection systems
• Are away from home country and social protection
systems and safety networks

11. WHY SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR
INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS?
• Migrsnts might have contributed to social
protection systems in their countries
• Their access to them may cease or diminish
substantially as they move to a host country
• Social protection therefore addresses the rights of
migrants
• Socially protected migrants improves productivity
of migrants and is of benefit to governments at
destination and origin: Mazuccato’s (2011)
reverse remittance concept

12. WHAT IS SOCIAL PROTECTION?
• “… aims at reducing vulnerabilities and managing
economic risks of individuals, households and
communities. … includes interventions and
initiatives that support individuals, households
and communities in their efforts to prevent,
mitigate and overcome risks and vulnerabilities
and enhance the social status and rights of the
marginalized”
(Avato et al 2008, citing from Hollzman and
Jorgensen 2000, etc.)

13. Social Protection through Social Capital
• Migrants’ social protection can be secured also
through social capital
• Social capital is defined as:
“Social networks, their associated norms and
values and the reciprocities that arise from them
and the value of these for achieving mutual goals.
The issue of trust has been applied in the
explanation of how social capital provides the
reciprocities for beneficiaries”
(Baron and Schuller 2000: 1)

14. THE SITUATION OF SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR
INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS
• Majority of international migrants lack social protection
• South-south international migrants or migrants in low-income
countries are the least protected
• Migrants in low-income countries lack access to social
protection most because social protection systems and
welfare systems are not developed in low income
countries (Boccagni 2008)
• So remittances have been social protection sources for
migrants in many countries (Wong 2006: 359)
• Remittance transfer through formal channels are
becoming major sources of tax revenue for
governments also(Quartey 2012)

15. Volume and Direction of Migrants in
the West African Sub-region
• 84% of the migration, in 2006, from West African
countries moved into another country within the
sub-region (Awumbila et al, 2013; Black et al,
2006).
• About 7.5 million persons were involved in intra-regional
migration movements.
• This is 7 times greater than movement from West
Africa to other parts of the world, including
Europe and North America (OECD/SWAC 2006,
quoted in Awumbila et al., 2013).

16. Average cost of sending $200 within
Africa (US$)
$32
$32
$25
$17
$17
$18
$19
$21
$18
$12
$13
Uganda-Tanzania
Uganda-Rwanda
kenya-Tanzania
Uganda-Kenya
Senegal-Mali
Burkina Faso-Cote d'Ivoire
Kenya-Uganda*
Nigeria-Benin
Nigeria-Ghana
Ghana-Nigeria*
Burkina Faso - Ghana

17. Popular Destinations for Migrants
in West Africa in 2012
Côte d’Ivoire
(2,350,024)
Nigeria (823,743)
Ghana (409,910)
Guinea (381,315)
The Gambia
(278,793)
Cited in Awumbila et al. (2013)

18. SOCIAL CAPITAL AND SOCIAL PROTECTION AMONG
AFRICAN MIGRANTS
• African migrants depend mainly on social
networks for escape from vulnerabilities and risks
associated with the migration process:
Decision-making stage at the origin
Integration and adjustment at destination
Return and re-integration upon return to origin or as
they move on to other destinations
• But some traditional sources of social capital have
been undermined by socio-cultural
transformations in Africa, especially in the
extended family

19. SOURCES OF SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR
INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS: THE EXAMPLE OF
GHANAIAN EMIGRANTS
Informal
Social networks:
Kinship ties
Non-kinship ties such as friends, associations (hometown,
old school, faith-based)
Labour and credit unions
Customary practices and institutions:
Outdooring, weddings/marriage, child-naming ceremonies,
funerals, etc.
Celebration, eg. Independence Day, festivals, etc.
Contribution to community development

20. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
• African governments should not “over-emphasize”
the economic aspects of the migration-development
nexus to the neglect of social and other aspects of the
relationship
• They need to recognize the informal sources of social
protection of migrants

21. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
• Reciprocity and trust embedded in migrants’ social
capital/networks should not be underestimated but
inform African governments that:
Successful implementation of policies on
migration and development will depend on good
governance and trust of citizens in government
African governments need to enhance all informal
social protection sources of migrants; not
associations only as being done

22. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION