MIGRATION PROFILE Study on Migration Routes in West and Central Africa
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Ghana MIGRATION PROFILE Study on Migration Routes in West and Central Africa October 2017 Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... II List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................ II 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Forced Migration/ Displacement .................................................................................................... 2 2.1. Refugees in Ghana ................................................................................................................. 2 2.2. Refugees from Ghana ............................................................................................................ 4 2.1. Internal Displacement in Ghana ............................................................................................ 5 3. Regular/ Labour Migration .............................................................................................................. 5 3.1. Immigration ............................................................................................................................ 5 3.2. Emigration .............................................................................................................................. 6 4. Internal Migration ........................................................................................................................... 7 5. Irregular Migration .............................................................................................................................. 7 5.1. Human Smuggling ......................................................................................................................... 8 5.2. Trafficking in Human Beings ......................................................................................................... 8 6. Migrant’s Vulnerabilities and Protection Issues .................................................................................. 9 7. Relevant National Policies and Stakeholders .................................................................................... 10 References ............................................................................................................................................. 17 List of Figures Figure 1: Origins of Migrants in Ghana .................................................................................................... 1 Figure 2: Destinations of Migrants from Ghana ...................................................................................... 1 Figure 3: Total Population in Ghana by Age Group, 2015 ....................................................................... 2 Figure 4: Migrant Stock in Ghana by Age Group, 2015 ........................................................................... 2 Figure 5 : Refugees in Ghana, 1990-2016................................................................................................ 3 Figure 6: Refugees from Ghana ............................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables Table 1: Ghana Key Demographic and Development Indicators ............................................................ 1 Table 2: Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Ghana, Mid-2016 .................................................................. 3 Table 3: Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Ghana by Country of Destination, Mid-2016 ................... 4 Table 4: Ghana’s Key Migration Policy Response .................................................................................. 12 II 1. Introduction The Republic of Ghana is a country located in West Africa, bordering Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, the Republic of Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The southern half of the country is more heavily populated, with the highest concentration of the population residing near and along the Atlantic coast (CIA, 2017). Ghana has an estimated population of 27.4 million (UNDP, 2016) and was widely considered to be one of the largest and advanced markets in West Africa, with the Ghanaian economy largely resting on Ghana’s three largest resources: gold, coal, and oil. Ghana has, for the most part, enjoyed a strong and stable economy (BBC Monitoring, 2017). In 2013, however, the country’s economy began to falter as Ghana endured a public deficit, weakening currency, and high-inflation rates (BBC, 2017). This is reflected in Ghana’s recent Human Development Index (HDI) rating, which places the country at rank 139 out of 188, with a low HDI value of 0.579. While the economy has grown impressively, it has not been able to absorb the more rapidly expanding labour force, driving high emigration amongst the highly-skilled, and higher unemployment amongst those with no schooling and the youth (IOM & ICMPD, 2015, p. 15). Table 1: Ghana Key Demographic and Development Indicators Indicator Ghana Total area, in sq kma 238,533 Population (2015), in millionb 27.4 Urban Population (2015), % of totalb 54.0 Population Growth Rate, average annual growth (2010-2015) %b 2.4 Ethnic Groupsa Akan 47.5% Ewe 13.9% Mole 16.6% GaDangme 7.4% Gurma 5.7% Guan 3.7% Grusi 2.5% Mande 1.1% Other 1.4% Human Development Index (2015), 0.579 country rank out of 188b 139 GDP Based on PPP per Capita, current international dollars per capita 4,293 (2016)c 1 Life Expectancy at Birth (2015), yearsb 61.5 Unemployment (2015), % of labour forceb 6.3 Youth Unemployment (2015), % ages 15-24b 12.2 Multidimensional Poverty Headcount (2014), %b 32.4 Gini Coefficient (2010-2015)b* 42.8 Foreign Direct Investment (net inflows, 2015), current USD millionsc 3,192 Net Official Development Assistance Received (2015), current USD 1,768 millionsc Personal Remittances Received (2016), current USD millionc 2,041.692 Sources: a (CIA, 2017); b (UNDP, 2016); c (World Bank, 2017) In 1956, Ghana gained independence from Britain, and Ghana’s political arena was a shaping factor for migratory movements in the post-independence era. When Ghana became a military dictatorship post-independence, the country underwent a transformation from a country of immigration to one that saw large trends of emigration (SIHMA, 2014). The military rule over Ghana, in combination with the harsh economic policies that were introduced in the 1990s, pushed away Ghana’s highly trained scholars and professionals. Lecturers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, and architects, and students escaped Ghana to seek more fruitful economic opportunities elsewhere; this made the country experience a large ‘brain-drain, an element which put significant strain on the developing country’s economy (SIHMA, 2014). Health care and educational professionals have been emigrating to countries like the United Kingdom and the United States since the 1990s (CIA, 2017). Despite this, after the 2000s, a large number of Ghanaians returned to Ghana after the country had not only proven to be economically and politically stable but was also growing at an impressive rate. Today, Ghana’s history has still largely shaped the migration trends that continue in the country, most notable perhaps is the reflection of Ghana’s pan-African ideology in its contemporary migration policies (SIHMA, 2014). As of 2015, there were about twice as many Ghanaians abroad (801,710) than immigrants in Ghana (399,471). If included in the country’s population, Ghanaian emigrants would account for about 3% of that figure. A significant amount of Ghanaian emigrants are in nearby West African countries, most of whom reside in Nigeria (see Figure 2). Together, the US and UK account for 30% of Ghanaians abroad (UN DESA, 2015a).† * Data refers to a year earlier than 2010 † Note that migration statistics from UN DESA (2015a) illustrate mixed migration stocks and may include some, but not all, of refugees in/from a given country. For further information visit: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimates15.shtml 2 Figure 1: Origins of Migrants in Ghana Figure 2: Destinations of Migrants from Ghana Niger 1% Other Other Benin 3% 15% Liberia 4% 7% Canada 3% Côte Togo Nigeria d'Ivoire 22% Germany 27% 8% 4% Burki Other na North Nigeria Faso 10% 17% 4% United Italy Other States of Burkina Côte 6% America South Togo United Faso d'Ivoire 17% 14% 6% Kingdom 14% 5% 13% Source: UN DESA, 2015a Source: UN DESA, 2015a As seen in Figure 1, Togo, Burkina Faso and Nigeria are the origin countries for about half of the 399,471 immigrants in Ghana (UN DESA, 2015a). These stock figures do not include refugee data, and only account for the foreign-born population in Ghana (UNHCR, 2017). The number of refugees in Ghana has been slowly decreasing since 2013, and 2016 marked the lowest figure (11,851) the country has seen since 2001 (see Figure 5). Almost 50% of the Ghanaian population is under the age of 25 (see Figure 3), which is buoyed by a high, but declining fertility rate of 4.2 births per woman (UNDP, 2016). The share of <20-year-olds amongst immigrants is even higher, at about 54% (see Figure 4). 1 Figure 3: Total Population in Ghana by Age Group, 2015 Figure 4: Migrant Stock in Ghana by Age Group, 2015 75+ 75+ 70-74 70-74 65-69 65-69 60-64 60-64 55-59 55-59 50-54 50-54 45-49 45-49