Rural-Urban Migration, Language and Squatter Settlement in Ashaiman Municipality

Abstract

Existing research on migration has not adequately explore the impact of language on the destination choices of internal migrants as compared to international migrants. Again, there is limited research on how the linguistic background of rural-urban migrants affects their settlement decisions and integration into the urban space. Hence, this study intends to examine the interplay of language on the settlement decisions and integration of rural-urban migrants in Ghana. The study used a mixed methods research design, convenience and purposive sampling methods and a sample size of seventy-five respondents. Semi-structured questionnaires and an in-depth interview guide were utilized in the study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse manually coded qualitative data. Descriptive statistics, both Univariate, Chi-square Test and Fisher Exact Test were employed to analyse the quantitative data using SPSS version 27. The study employed the Social Network theory and Heckmann & Bosswick (2006) Integration framework to explore how language influences settlement decisions and integration of rural-urban migrants. The study found that Ashaiman is a multi- ethnic community, with a diverse linguistic landscape. The diversity may be explained by language contact as a result of in-migration. The study found that Asante Twi is the most preferred language among the dominant languages spoken in Ashaiman. The study concludes that at the pre-migration stage, language can be a deciding factor for settlement choice for most in-migrants in the absence of other weightier criteria. However, language influence their settlement pattern at the destination at post-migration stage due to ethnic segregation. The socio-economic integration of rural urban migrants can be influenced by the linguistic profile of the community as, well as the migrants’ proficiency in Asante Twi. Recommendations are offered for governments and other stakeholders on the essence of language, ethnic segregation and their impact on urban planning. Overall, tailored policies addressing youth, gender, regional development, language competency, and cultural diversity can enhance the migration experience and contribute to community cohesion.