By: Maltiti Sayida Sadick
A surge in undocumented migrant beggars in Accra and other parts of Ghana has drawn renewed attention to the root causes of migration within West Africa, with experts pointing to a complex web of environmental hardship, regional insecurity, poverty, and trafficking networks.
Speaking on GTV Breakfast on the recent evacuation of undocumented migrants from the streets of Accra, Dr. Owusua Eshia Nortey, a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, highlighted that many migrants do not enter the country using approved documentation or border routes.
“Bus drivers are often complicit in bringing in these migrants through unapproved routes,” Dr. Nortey stated, adding that a similar mass evacuation occurred in 2022. She traced the recurring movement to worsening conditions in the Sahel region, including climate change-induced droughts and insurgencies from groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria, Mali, and Niger.
“Due to the extended dry season — nearly eight months — and only a brief farming season from September to May, many migrants are forced to move temporarily. They return to their countries of origin around the start of the rainy season to work their farms,” she explained.
Dr. Nortey emphasized that the movement is not limited to Hausa-speaking populations, noting the presence of Tuareg migrant beggars as well. Some migrants reportedly anticipate government-provided transportation back home and remain in Ghana until that opportunity arises.
“Many of them migrate as far as Libya and Morocco to beg. The high concentration of migrants in Ghana is largely due to intensified border security in the Mediterranean,” she added.
Describing the migrants as primarily environmental refugees, Dr. Nortey called for improved regional support systems to tackle root causes such as poor climate adaptation strategies, inadequate educational facilities, and limited access to basic services in migrants’ home countries.
Security analyst Emmanuel Kotin, also a guest on the program, urged the government to handle evacuations, particularly those involving child beggars, with a more humane and investigative approach.
“Some parents may be complicit in trafficking their children. We need to recognize that free movement within ECOWAS does not guarantee access to services. Children are the most affected, and the exploitation must stop,” Kotin said.
He criticized the lack of effective monitoring and tracking of vulnerable migrant children in Ghana, citing scenes of children begging while parents collect and monitor their earnings nearby — a form of child exploitation outlawed by several international and regional treaties.
“Ghana is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and protocols against human trafficking. Forced begging is a crime under all of these instruments,” Kotin stressed.
He called for stronger coordination among ECOWAS member states to develop protection mechanisms for vulnerable migrants and warned that without a sustained crackdown, trafficking syndicates could easily go underground and resurface.
As Ghana grapples with the socio-economic implications of undocumented migration, experts say regional collaboration and a deeper understanding of root causes — from environmental shocks to armed conflict — are vital to managing future flows and ensuring the protection of the most vulnerable.
