[ABGESAGT] Migration and translocal livelihood dynamics in Ghana

Abstract

Migration and translocality characterises the reality of live of majority of Africans that create avenues for livelihood diversification, wealth creation and social mobility. Based on the MiTraWa survey on translocal livelihoods in the Eastern and Upper West regions of Ghana, the paper examines the patterns, dynamics, and networks that are developed between and within households. Drawing on the trans-local migration theory, the paper shows that through the agency of migrants, there are intense interactions and mutual support between households in areas of origin and areas of destination. A holistic understanding of the web of interrelations in a conjoint region encompassing both origin and destination is needed to better appreciate the outcomes of people’s lives. Translocality stresses the vertical and horizontal linkages in socio-economic and political relations among people in different spatial zones whose livelihoods are actually joint and are influenced by holistic multi-scale happenings. The Upper West Region with a long history of migration shows how multi-scale migration is characterised by a perfect synergy of joint livelihoods unseparated by geography. Decision-making by migrants and non-migrant household aim at balancing the livelihood sustainability of all members in the different locations through resource balancing transfers influenced by climatic, economic, social, and demographic considerations. The interconnected impacts for rural and urban settings of these decision-making and resource flow processes are critical in enriching the literature on mobility, migration, and livelihoods. It is argued that as greater linkages and interdependencies are forged between households in urban and rural settings, policies need to change to harness these opportunities through support systems that target a holistic socio-economic transformation of the country.