Transnational Practices And Integration Of Refugees In Ghana

Abstract

Forced migration continues to impact on human populations in several geographical locations across the globe. Ceaseless wars and insecurity compel people to cross borders to seek refuge in different countries. Refugee situations, in general, present a significant challenge to refugees and refugee-hosting nations, especially those in developing countries. Studies in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa have examined refugees’ livelihoods and challenges, the relationship between refugees and host communities in Ghana, and the security concerns raised by host communities due to protracted refugee situations in some contexts. However, not much research has been done in Ghana regarding how refugees maintain transnational ties with their country of origin and other third countries, while negotiating their integration in the host country. The objectives of this study, therefore, were to examine transnational activities of refugees in Ghana and their channels of communications; to explore the reasons why refugees maintain transnational ties with their country of origin and other third countries, and to find out whether their transnational activities influence their integration in Ghana. The Kunz’s Kinetic model of refugee movements and attitudes towards their country of origin was used as the theoretical basis of the study to determine their transnational engagements with their country of origin and other third countries as well as attitudes towards local integration. The Sequential Explanatory Strategy of mixed research method design was used for the study with a quantitative survey conducted on 470 urban and camp refugees in the Western, Central and Greater Accra regions; and the qualitative aspect , i.e. in-depth interviews were administered to 30 refugees, four officials of the Ghana Refugee Board and three opinion leaders within the refugee host communities. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 20 and the qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that majority of the refugees left their country of origin due to political and governance conflicts; and that refugees engage socially, economically, culturally and politically with their country of origin and other third countries. The study also found that most of the refugees are technologically savvy and they utilized social media (particularly Facebook and WhatsApp) and telephone calls as channels of communication in their transnational engagements. Key reasons given for their transnational engagements included monitoring economic and political developments in their respective countries of origin, checking on welfare of kin and friends and seeking opportunities for resettlement in third countries. The study also found that only a few of the refugees were socially, culturally, economically and politically integrated in Ghana. The key challenges the refugees faced in their integration in Ghana included lack of employment opportunities, mismatch in skills to available job opportunities, language barrier, unfavourable economic conditions, discrimination in employment because of refugee status, lack of proper integration policy, and the refugees’ plans towards third country resettlement or voluntary return to the country of origin. Apart from the political engagements of refugees with their country of origin, which impacted on their political engagements in Ghana; and social and cultural engagements with third countries which impacted on social and cultural integration in Ghana, there was no significant association between their engagements with the origin and third countries and their integration in Ghana. Majority of the refugees opted for third country resettlement as against integrating in Ghana or voluntarily returning to their country of origin. The study recommends that refugee hosting nations develop policies in consultation with international development partners and Western countries to support refugee resettlement in third countries in both Africa and the West; while host government also provides economic and social opportunities to support refugee integration in the host country.