Independent north-south child migration in Ghana: the decision making process

Whilst migration is neither a new phenomenon, nor specific to any group of people, the trends and dynamics of population movements vary greatly over space and time. This working paper explores the reasons for the phenomenon of independent child migration from the North to the South in Ghana, looking particularly at how the decision for the child to migrate is made, and who is involved in the process. Most of the findings of the research focus on what children themselves think and say about the decision-making processes and their experiences.

The authors show how the independent migration of children, particularly from northern to southern Ghana, has become a subject of increasing concern for Ghana’s national development. This phenomenon has important implications for the development prospects of both origin and destination areas, as well as for the socio-economic advancement of the child migrants themselves. Research is focused on a specific of children who have migrated from the northern regions to the cities of Accra and Kumasi, most of whom, and especially girls, work as head porters. A historical overview of internal migration in Ghana is provided followed by further insight into the process of decision-making, and in particular into the reasons for migration and the main players in the decision making, as well as into the children’s migration experience and the resources that are available to them to facilitate their own migration. Two key risk factors are identified: the means used for travelling and the abandonment of schooling. Recommendations include:

• the government should target the sheanut industry in Northern Ghana as a possible source of employment and income generation for youth in that part of the country
• efforts should be made at sensitising parents and potential migrants in the sending areas to the risks of child migration. The District Assemblies in the sending regions should devote a portion of their Common Fund to such awareness-raising initiatives and encourage children to reach a minimum level of education, for example Senior Secondary School level, before migrating
• a national debate should be initiated on independent child migration particularly from northern to southern Ghana as a basis for formulating policies and programmes to mitigate the risks associated with it, while increasing its benefits.