30% Ghanaians Are Migrants – GSS

About 30 per cent of Ghanaians are classified as migrants according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) Thematic Report on Migration.

The report, released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) explained that the figure represented persons whose place of birth was different from the place of enumeration; indicating that Ghanaians are mobile.

It also revealed that the leading reason for migration was to settle permanently as 36 per cent of migrants moved for long-term or permanent stays.

“Greater Accra leading the regions which gained population through migration, followed by Ashanti region while on the other hand, among the 10 regions which lost population through migration, the Volta region was the highest,” the report indicated.

Further, the report revealed that the leading destinations for persons emigrating from Ghana to settle outside the country are Europe and America.

The report also showed gender differences in the main drivers of migration as female migrants mostly move due to marriage and family reunions whereas males move for economic reasons.

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) released the report on 9th March 2023.

Government Statistician, Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, noted that Ghana in recent times has not been able to do a survey solely on migration. He added that it was important such surveys are conducted in collaboration with Ghana Immigration Service and Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, to accurately capture the issues relating to travel and tourism.

Chief of Mission for Ghana, Togo, and Benin, Fatou Ndiaye Diallo, stated that Ghana requires up-to-date migration data to facilitate reporting and evidence-based policymaking as a country of origin, transit and destination.

“While this has been identified as a key need by the Government of Ghana through the National Migration Policy, the achievement of this goal has proven to be a challenge,” she said.

She thus commended the Statistical Service for producing the report which she said “provides the very much-needed data to interrogate the state of play of migration in Ghana to inform the right policy engineering.

“Additionally, the data will support the review of the migration profile of Ghana,” she added.

Chief Director, Interior Ministry, Adelaide Anno-Kumi,. highlighted the importance of the report saying, “the data provides the basis for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluating the needs of the population within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 10.7”.

She urged stakeholders to support the GSS with the effective dissemination of the 2021PHC data for national development.