Migrants Economic Activities and their Impacts in the Ghanaian Economy: A Study of the New Juabeng Municipality

Abstract

Migration is an enduring theme of human history and is considered one of the defining global issues of the twenty-first century. In Ghana, as in other parts of Africa, migration is largely informal and undocumented, making accurate data on the phenomenon extremely scanty. Migrants have been involved in a lot of activities that they are not permitted to do in the host country as defined within the borders of international protocols and agreements. Despite all this, there is little known about migrants‟ activities in Ghana. This study was to explore the activities of Nigerian Migrants and their impacts on the Ghanaian economy. The study area was Koforidua. Specifically, the study sought to: find out the socio-economic and demographic backgrounds of Nigerian migrants in the New Juabeng Municipality; find out the types of economic activities Nigerian migrants engage in in the New Juabeng Municipality; and to explore the impacts of the economic activities of the migrants in the study area. The study was both an exploratory and explanatory one that used the mixed method approach in answering the research question. Respondents were selected using a mixture of designs ranging from purposive, through to snowballing through the networks of Nigerian immigrants in Koforidua. It was discovered that Nigerian immigrants engage mainly in the informal sector economic activities that Ghanaians dominate, creating competitions that leads to throwing out some the Ghanaian traders out of business. However, the study also discovered some positive impacts of the Nigerian immigrants on the Ghanaian economy in Koforiduda. This includes employment of Ghanaians, payment of tax (though few) and patronage of food substances that are sold by Ghanaian vendors. The study recommends that strict measures must be put in place to enforce the rules and regulations in the country to country both the entry and the economic activities of immigrants in Ghana. It reminds the government to strengthen and enforce an efficient tax collecting system to ensure immigrants pay taxes for national development.