Abstract:
The main objective of this study is to examine the growth patterns of Ghanaian towns in terms of population size and to investigate the plausible reasons for an increase or decrease in the number of people living in the towns at a particular point in time. For a meaningful study, selection is made of all towns in the country with population of 10,000 or more by the 2000 Population and Housing Census Reports of Ghana.
The study found out that, internal migration in Ghana flows in all directions but the more urbanized towns with much infrastructure development and job opportunities as found in regional administrative capitals, mining towns, industrial areas as well as commercial towns continue to attract a disproportionate share of the migrants. Major differences in urban functions such as administrative, commercial, manufacturing, construction services, transport and communication, agriculture and mining as well as educational institutions in the various large towns have to a large extent been responsible for the different rates of urbanization and growth of towns in the country. For instance, the population of the largest city in the country, (Accra), has been 8 times as large as the 3rd largest town (Tamale) and 39 times that of the 20th largest, Nkawkaw as at 2000.
Generally, the contribution of net migration to the growth of towns in Ghana over the period 1970 to 1984 was low compared to that of between 1960 and 1970 due to an economic crisis experienced by the country in the 1970s which compelled many Ghanaians to travel outside the country in search of jobs. Decentralization policy instrument of Ghana which was initiated in 1988 changed the status of some towns in the country and hence reduced rural-urban drift of the youths.
