75% of Ghanaians will travel out if given the opportunity – Report

• Posted on August 16, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

75% of Ghanaians say they will leave the country if they get the opportunity and had the means to.

This was captured in a Pew Research Centre report that surveyed six out of 10 countries that contributed the most to the numbers of immigrants to the US.

The top immigrant suppliers in the US include Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa.

“Between February and April 2017, Pew Research Center surveyed in six of the 10 countries that have supplied many of the sub-Saharan immigrants now living in the U.S. Four of these countries – Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Kenya – are also among the top 10 origin countries for sub-Saharan migrants to Europe.”

“The survey asked respondents whether they would go to live in another country, if they had the means and opportunity. At least four-in-ten in each sub-Saharan country surveyed answered yes, including roughly three-quarters of those surveyed in Ghana (75%) and Nigeria (74%),” the report said.

The data from the report is consistent with other studies done by various research reports including some by Afrobarometer and the Gallup polls.

Among the reasons given for the high appeal of migration by countries in sub-Saharan Africa given by the report were high unemployment, political instability, and low wage rates which are expected to worsen due to high fertility rate and the corresponding high population growth.

Europe’s border statistics show a well-traveled route of migrants from Africa to Europe. But this does not necessarily mean Europe is the top choice of potential sub-Saharan African migrants.

In fact, in several of the countries surveyed by Pew Research Center, those planning to migrate more often cited the U.S., as opposed to Europe, as their preferred destination when asked where in the world they planned to move.

For example, among the 42% of Ghanaians who say they plan to migrate abroad in the next five years, four-in-ten (41%) identify the U.S. as their intended destination, while three-in-ten (30%) name a country in the EU, Norway or Switzerland.

Similarly, shares of potential migrants in South Africa (39% vs. 22%) and Kenya (39% vs. 12%) say they intend to migrate to the U.S. over Europe.

Source: CNR