Internal migration and multidimensional wellbeing: a case study of North-South migration in Ghana

Abstract

Migration is widely regarded as a principal form of activity available to many of the world’s poor to improve their household’s standard of living. This paper investigates whether and in what ways internal migrants benefit from moving within Ghana’s North-South migration context. This research uses an innovative multidimensional wellbeing framework to assess the effects of migration on migrants’ wellbeing based on six domains: living standards, health, education, community vitality, environmental resilience, and governance. The wellbeing survey of 251 northern Ghanaian migrants working in the informal economic sector within the Sunyani municipality discovered that although most migrants reported improved living standards, a majority could not attain overall wellbeing due to low health and education wellbeing scores. Exploring the relationship between income and wellbeing across domains, the study found a weak positive association, and the complex interplay of factors beyond income was evident. This study challenges the conventional perspective that equates income with the attainment of wellbeing and argues that a multidimensional wellbeing framework permits a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of migration. It highlights the need for the government to actively monitor and address the wellbeing of internal migrants within the Ghanaian context.