The Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Migrants in Ghana

Ghana has an estimated 466,780 international migrants, the majority of whom originate from other ECOWAS states. Additionally, there are millions of internal migrants in the country such as female head porters, known as Kayayei. In 2015, the Ghana Statistical Service reported 6,488,064 internal migrants. To protect the fundamental rights of migrants as well as the economic contributions they make to their communities of origin and destination in the short and long-term, it is crucial that migrants, both international and internal, are included in Ghana’s COVID-19 response and recovery plans.

The current briefing note by the United Nations in Ghana, authored by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), looks at the impact of COVID-19 on migrants. It further makes a number of recommendations including the reintegration of migrants in expanded social protection initiatives and the need for Standard Operating Procedures to guide operations related to the COVID-19 response at all Points of Entry.