SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF INTERNATIONAL RETURN MIGRANTS TO THE BEREKUM MUNICIPALITY, GHANA

Abstract

The phenomenon of return migration has been neglected in many studies in Africa. But there has been a growing recognition that migration, both internal and international can offer an important route out of poverty for many people from developing countries. To unravel some of these claims, data from a survey involving 120 returnees in the Berekum Municipality, Ghana, were used to assess the socio-economic status of international return migrants to Ghana. The study adopted a quantitative approach to research involving both snowballing and simple random sampling techniques. The instrument for the data collection was an interview schedule, made up of both open and closed-ended questions. The results have shown that 84% of the returnees had acquired critical skills, particularly technical skills (44%) while more than half (68.3%) at return owned houses and a large proportion acquired consumer durable goods. But respondents who lived and worked in European destinations had the highest asset-holding status compared to their counterparts who stayed and worked in American and African destinations. The study, therefore, recommends that government through a multi-sectorial approach should design and implement comprehensive programmes such as post-arrival counseling and start-up support for returnees to ensure a maximum utilization of their skills and resources for the socio-economic development of the country.