Increasingly Ghanaians, particularly young people, are emigrating to Europe and America in search of better opportunities.
In contrast to the 2010 data of 250,624, according to statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service, a total of 293,416 people were recorded as Ghanaian emigrants in the 2021 Population and Housing Census.
The report's launch was made public in Accra.
According to data from a thematic study on migration in Accra, these emigrants were primarily young people, with a median age of 35. There were also more emigrants with rural origins—78.6% among those between the ages of 20 and 49—than those with urban origins.
According to the study, 23.6% of Ghanaian migrants went to the Americas, while 37.6% went to Europe, both percentages almost unchanged from 2010.
According to the research, ECOWAS states accounted for the majority of the third of Ghanaian immigrants' destinations in Africa.
The majority of Ghanaians who emigrated to West Africa were from Cote d'Ivoire (7.3%), followed by Nigeria (6.0%).
Those who are not Ghanaians
Nonetheless, the researchers noted that between 2010 and 2021, the number of non-Ghanaians in the nation decreased from 398,585 to 294,341.
It said that 26.2 percent of the non-Ghanaian population was made up of Nigerians, followed by 20.5 percent of Togolese, 16.1 percent of Nigeriens, 16.0 percent of Burkinabes, 4.3 percent of Ivorians, and 3.8 percent of Asians.
Prof. John K. Anarfi, the research's primary author, stated during a presentation of the report that the two biggest reasons individuals left the nation were to pursue jobs and school or training, with marriage-related reasons and family reunions rounding out the list.
According to the survey, the Greater Accra and Ashanti areas alone were home to more than half of the emigrant population.
Further research on migration in the nation, according to Prof. Anarfi, revealed a stepwise migration pattern in which individuals abandoned small communities and gradually relocated to greater towns until they arrived in the metropolis.
Young adults are being driven to search abroad for employment prospects since the nation is no longer able to provide jobs for them, he claimed.
The demographic dividend, which depicted the nation as having a young population, had been missed, according to the figures, Professor Anarfi remarked, thus some action and policy decisions must be made to solve the problem.
Hence, he said, "Efforts must be increased, not only to assure the youth's health and improved education but also to establish sustainable economic circumstances so that jobs can grow in an environment of good government.
Take on SDGs
The statistics on migration, according to Adelaide Anno-Kumi, the Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, will help with fundamental planning so that the Sustainable Development Goals may be met.
She stated that the ministry would continue to work with the Statistics Service to provide analytical studies that would attempt to address migration-related research problems that were relevant to policy.
Fatou Ndiaye, the Head of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Ghana, declared that the IOM will continue to support authorities' capacity development for the efficient management of migration.
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