A journey to the south: socio-economic implications for young female head porters in the central business district of Kumasi, Ghana

The north-south movement in Ghana has taken a new dimension with females searching for better livelihood opportunities. The porters mostly end up living and working under deprived conditions and vulnerable to physical and reproductive health risks. Their expectations of making good money to enable them realise their dreams are hardly realised. Employing a mixed method of data collection, this paper examines the factors of this gendered migration and its socio-economic implications for the migrants in the CBD of Kumasi. It notes that the neo-classical economic theory of migration is inadequate in explaining the current pattern of north-south migration in Ghana. These female head porters face accommodation, health and work related risks/challenges at their destination. Yet deliberate policy intervention to stem the trend or address the associated challenges is lacking. It is the view of the paper that policy intervention must be geared towards bridging the socio-economic gap in development between the north and the south. The introduction of livelihood empowerment programs for these migrants at the destination will be a laudable thing but socio-economic development of the north, especially the promotion of female education will provide a viable long-term solution to the problem.