Abstract:
Recent studies indicate that poor migrants are more likely to depend on social capital among other resources
for livelihoods in host communities. Relying on insights from the social networks theory and using qualitative
data from two migrant sending regions and one migrant destination area in Ghana, this paper examines the
role and effects of networks of social capital on migration processes and livelihood strategies of migrants in
the construction and domestic work sectors in Accra, Ghana. The paper argues that different categories of
migrants fashion out specific migration strategies based on a complex intersection of social networks, which
is shaped by specific contexts. Therefore the various ways in which migrants access, maintain and construct
different types of networks in varied social locations and with diverse people needs to be interrogated in a
more nuanced way and their policy implications addressed
