Future aspirations of rural-urban young migrants in Accra, Ghana

ABSTRACT

The futures that young people imagine for themselves should serve as a guidepost to youth employment programmes. Drawing on data from interviews conducted with 30 young migrants in Accra, this article examines the futures young migrants imagine for themselves and the ways they are working to realise their aspirations. Findings suggest that while the young migrants were engaged in some economic activities in the urban informal economy, they regarded these as a means to transit towards their imagined futures. They had divergent plans for the future, whether to further their education and gain professional salaried jobs, or establish their own small-scale businesses. Nonetheless, their limited financial resources and social networks may affect transition to these imaginary futures. Engagement in paid work, saving groups and leisure-based activities are key activities young migrants engage in efforts to reach their plans. These findings have important implications for policy seeking to promote youth employment in Africa.

KEYWORDS:

• Young people
• migration
• aspirations
• transitions
• imagined future
• Ghana

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 After a referendum in December 2018 on the creation of new administration regions, the erstwhile Northern region is divided into two: the Savannah and Northern Regions. Also Upper East is now divided into North East and Upper East regions.

2 This refers to the export orientation, liberalisation and opening up of the economy of Ghana to global markets mainly through adoption of neoliberal policies in the 1980s, which reduced the role of the state in productive activities and provision of social services. The adoption of these policies led to the removal of agricultural subsidies and inputs which impacted on agriculture livelihoods. The northern regions did not benefit from the income accruing to the cocoa and non-traditional exports produced mainly in the southern region (Yaro 2013, 10)

3 Examples include the Northern Region Rural Integrated Projects (NORRIP), Upper Region Development Project (URADEP), Tono and Vea Irrigation Projects, Upper West Development Project (UWADEP) and the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA)

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Smuts Memorial Fund, managed by the University of Cambridge in memory of Jan Christiaan Smuts.