⚠ Official Notice: www.ijisrt.com is the official website of the International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) Journal for research paper submission and publication. Please beware of fake or duplicate websites using the IJISRT name.



Migration and Development: Assessing Economic Drivers for Dependents of Ghanaians in the Diaspora


Authors : Dr. Hannah Serwah Bonsu; Francis Kofi Awiagah

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 4 - April

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/h9zjpz3x

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/s49e7aed

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr554

PlumX Metrics

Semantic Scholar

ResearchGate

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The study examined migration and development; assessing economic drivers for dependents of Ghanaians in the diaspora. The study identified and analyze the major economic drivers influencing the welfare of dependents of Ghanaians in the diaspora, the extent to which remittances, diaspora investments, and transnational networks contribute to household development outcomes such as education, healthcare, and income security and evaluate the challenges and vulnerabilities faced by dependents, including issues of dependency, inequality, and exposure to external economic shocks. A multi-stage sampling approach was used: Purposive sampling was used to find communities with strong diaspora links, stratified sampling was used to to group families by income level (poor, middle, and high), and random selection within strata to choose households to take part. The study showed that remittances and transnational networks significantly improve household welfare, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare, and economic security.

References :

  1. Ahinful, D., Boateng, K., & Oppong-Boakye, P. (2013). Diaspora investments and local development in Ghana.
  2. Amo-Agyemang, K. (2023). Climate migration, resilience and adaptation in the Anthropocene: Insights from the migrating Frafra to Southern Ghana. The Anthropocene Review, 10(2), 592–611. https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196221109354.
  3. Amoah, A., Tetteh, C., Korle, K., & Quartey, S. H. (2022). Human Development and Net Migration: the Ghanaian Experience. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 23(3), 1147 1172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00874-6
  4. Arthur-Holmes, F., & Abrefa Busia, K. (2022). Women, North-South migration and artisanal and small-scale mining in Ghana: Motivations, drivers and socio-economic implications. The Extractive Industries and Society, 10, 101076. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2022.101076
  5. Assan, J. (2021). Ethnic Identity, Discrimination and the Shaping of Remittance Culture in Ghana. CASTE / A Global Journal on Social Exclusion, 2(2), 295–314. https://doi.org/10.26812/caste.v2i2.306.
  6. Awumbila, M., et al. (2014). ‘Diaspora and Migration Policy and Institutional Frameworks Ghana Country’, Interact Research Report, 31, p. 15.
  7. Bean, F., & Brown, S. (2014). Migration theory and selective processes.
  8. Bilsborrow, R., et al. (1984). Migration and household strategies.
  9. Castles, S., & Miller, M. (2009). The Age of Migration. New York: Macmillan.
  10. Cebotari, V., & Dito, B. (2021). Internal and international parental migration and the living conditions of children in Ghana. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105821. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105821.
  11. Conerly, C., et al. (2021). Higher education migration to Europe.
  12. Czaika, M., & de Haas, H. (2014). The Globalization of Migration: Has the World Become More Migratory? International Migration Review, 48, 283-323.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12095.
  13. Doerschler, P. (2006). Push‐Pull Factors and Immigrant Political Integration in Germany. Social Science Quarterly, 87(5), 1100–1116. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00418.x.
  14. Dotsey, S., Dzikpe, J., & Amoah, R. (2025). Internal migration, precarious housing and health issues in urban Ghana. GeoJournal, 90(2), 58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-025-11301-z Dustmann, C., & Frattini, T. (2014). “The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK.” The Economic Journal 124: 593-643.
  15. Dzanku, F., & Tsikata, D. (2022). Implications of socioeconomic change for agrarian land and labour relations in rural Ghana. Journal of Rural Studies, 94, 385–398. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.07.010.
  16. Faist, T. (2021). The Volume and Dynamics of International Migration and Transnational Social Spaces. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  17. Faridi, R. (2018). Everett Lee’s push-pull theory of migration.
  18. Fernández, S., Arce, G., García-Alaminos, Á., Cazcarro, I., & Arto, I. (2024). Climate change as a veiled driver of migration in Bangladesh and Ghana. Science of the Total Environment, 922, 171210. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171210.
  19. Gauci, J. P., Giuffré, M. and Tsourdi, E. L. (eds) (2015) Exploring the boundaries of refugee law: current protection challenges. Leiden: Hotei Publishing.
  20. Global Commission on International Migration (2005) Migration in an Interconnected World: New Directions for Action. Geneva: Global Commission on International Migration.
  21. Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). (2020). Population and Housing Census: National Analytical Report, 2010 Population & Housing Census - National Analytical Report. Accra.
  22. Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). (2023). Annual Labour Force Survey Report. Accra: GSS.
  23. Goldring, L. (2018). ‘The Power of Status in the Transnational Social Space’, in Smith, M. P. and Guarnizo, L. E. (eds) Transnationalism from Below. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
  24. Goldsmith, A. (2010). ‘Mixed regimes and political violence in Africa’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 48(03), pp. 413–433. doi: 10.1017/S0022278X10000315.
  25. Hatch, J. (2016). ‘Migration, unemployment and development: a two sector analysis’, American Economic Review, 60(1): 126–142.
  26. Ibrahim, M., et al. (2019). Joblessness and migration drivers in developing nations.
  27. International Organization for Migration (IOM). (2024). Reintegration and Return Support Statistics. Accra: IOM Ghana Office.
  28. Levitt, P. (1998). Social remittances: Migration-driven cultural flows.
  29. Llull, J. (2017). Immigration, Wages, and Education: A Labour Market Equilibrium Structural Model, The Review of Economic Studies, Volume 85, Issue 3, July 2018, Pages 1852–1896, https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdx053
  30. Madondo, T., & Dhobha, P. (2025). Harnessing migration for sustainable development in Africa: challenges and opportunities. Business & Social Science IJRBS VOL 14 NO 1 (2025) ISSN: 2147-4478
  31. Manuh, T. (2005). At home in the world? : international migration and development in contemporary Ghana and West Africa, Standford University Libraries
  32. Monterroso, O., & Vilán, D. (2025). Commodity terms of trade uncertainty and economic activity in emerging economies.
  33. Newland, K. and Patrick E (2017). Migrant Return and Reintegration Policy: A Key Component of Migration Governance. In M. McAuliffe, & M. Klein Solomon (Eds.), Migration Research Leaders’ Syndicate: Ideas to Inform International Cooperation on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (pp. 169-173). Geneva: OIM.
  34. Ninsin, K. (1992). Informalization and Ghanaian politics. Ghana: Changing Values/Changing Technologies, The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, Washington, DC.Portes, A., & Walton, J. (2013). Labor migration and global inequalities.
  35. Quartey, S. H., Dartey-Baah, K., & Essiaw, M. N. (2022). Examining the nexus between human resource leadership and corporate sustainability: views of human resource professionals in Ghanaian SMEs. International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment, 6(4), 310-333.
  36. Ratha, D. (2007). Leveraging Remittances for International Capital Market Access. Washington DC: World Bank.
  37. Sassen, S. (1990). The urban complex in a world economy. International Social Science Journal, 46(139).
  38. Seeberg, P. (2013) ‘The Arab Uprisings and the EU’s Migration Policies-The Cases of Egypt, Libya, and Syria’, Democracy and Security, 9(1–2), pp. 157–176. doi: 10.1080/17419166.2013.747909.
  39. Siddiqui, T and C. R. Abrar (2003) Migrant Workers Remittances and Micro-Finance in Bangladesh. Research report prepared for ILO. Dhaka: Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit.
  40. Spencer, G., Dankyi, E., Thompson, J., Acton, F., & Kwankye, S. O. (2022). The health experiences of young internal migrants in Ghana—identifying priorities for sustainable health promotion. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15229.
  41. Sriskandarajah, D. (2002). The migration–development nexus: Sri Lanka case study. International Migration, 40(5), 283-307.
  42. Turolla, M., & Hoffmann, L. (2023). “The cake is in Accra”: a case study on internal migration in Ghana. Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne Des Études Africaines, 57(3), 645–666. https://doi.org/10.1080/00083968.2023.2230325
  43. Wadsworth, J. (2018). Off EU go? Brexit, the UK labour market and immigration. Fiscal Studies, 39(4), 625-649.
  44. Wallerstein, I. (2011). World-systems analysis: An introduction. Durham: Duke University Press.
  45. Weldemariam, L. F., Ayanlade, A., Borderon, M., & Möslinger, K. (2023). Dynamics and factors influencing return migration to Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. Heliyon, 9(8).
  46. World Bank (2007) Bangladesh: Strategy for sustained growth. Bangladesh Development Series Paper No. 18.
  47. World Bank. (2018). Moving for Prosperity: Global Migration and Labor Markets. World Bank Policy Research Report. Washington, DC: World Bank.
  48. World Bank (2025). Ghana Jobs Diagnostic Report.
  49. World Bank (2023). Migration and Development Brief 30. Washington, DC: World Bank.
  50. Yeboah, T., Boamah, E. F., & Appai, T. P. (2021). Broadening the Remittance Debate: Reverse Flows, Reciprocity and Social Relations Between UK-Based Ghanaian Migrants and Families Back Home. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 22(1), 47–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-019-00713-9
  51. Zoelle, Diana. (2011). Push Factors: Immigration as a Consequence of Development Lending.

The study examined migration and development; assessing economic drivers for dependents of Ghanaians in the diaspora. The study identified and analyze the major economic drivers influencing the welfare of dependents of Ghanaians in the diaspora, the extent to which remittances, diaspora investments, and transnational networks contribute to household development outcomes such as education, healthcare, and income security and evaluate the challenges and vulnerabilities faced by dependents, including issues of dependency, inequality, and exposure to external economic shocks. A multi-stage sampling approach was used: Purposive sampling was used to find communities with strong diaspora links, stratified sampling was used to to group families by income level (poor, middle, and high), and random selection within strata to choose households to take part. The study showed that remittances and transnational networks significantly improve household welfare, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare, and economic security.

Paper Submission Last Date
31 - May - 2026

SUBMIT YOUR PAPER CALL FOR PAPERS
Video Explanation for Published paper

Never miss an update from Papermashup

Get notified about the latest tutorials and downloads.

Subscribe by Email

Get alerts directly into your inbox after each post and stay updated.
Subscribe
OR

Subscribe by RSS

Add our RSS to your feedreader to get regular updates from us.
Subscribe