Review policies on labour migration – Statistician tells government

A government statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, has raised concerns about the need to review the country’s policy direction on Ghanaian labour migration.

His comment comes on the back of Ghana Statistical Service’s survey which reveals that about 25 percent of immigrants die travelling through unapproved routes.

The 2019 recruitment cost survey conducted by the Statistical Service and the International Labour Organisation indicates that about 25 percent of the people who leave the shores of the country through unapproved routes do not get to their final destination.

Professor Samuel Kobina Annim is therefore calling for a review of economic policies that will create local opportunities rather than travelling abroad in search of jobs through unapproved routes.

“People die; disappear as a result of the migration process. So, if you have 25 percent of our migrants going through unapproved routes, we need to see whether our policies are well planned and our policies are well managed.”

The Ghana Statistical Service recruitment cost survey was a pilot project for two regions, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo.

The report also shows that it takes two months for recruits to pay back the cost of getting the employment.

On average, more than one-third of migrant workers travel abroad with regular immigration without a work visa.