This project explores how national and local governance contexts influence adaptive climate mobility in Ghana and Ethiopia. It examines how national policies are mediated by local governments and informal institutions, shaping household livelihood strategies and climate-change adaptation. Using field data, the project provides policy-relevant recommendations to government agencies and contributes insights on climate mobility practices to national and global actors. In Ghana, the study is conducted in the Upper West and Eastern Regions by the Centre for Migration Studies.

Abstract

West Africa is a region of intense mobility, with approximately 90% of international migration occurring within the region. Using a translocal livelihood and mobility approach at the household level, this project examines the interlinkages between migrants’ places of origin and destination. Focusing on Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Nigeria, the study analyses rural-urban and cross-border migration dynamics and their social, political, and ecological implications, including land use change, gender relations, urban growth, and environmental pressures.

This project examined the contribution of migrants to development in destination countries, shifting focus beyond remittances to broader economic impacts. It informed policy debates on maximizing migration benefits while minimizing costs.

This study addressed gaps in understanding the operations of door-to-door shipping businesses between the UK and Ghana and their role in migrants’ livelihood strategies and transnational economic activities.

Part of an EU-funded initiative, this project generated robust and policy-relevant data on the migration implications of crisis situations in host countries to support effective and cooperative state responses.

This study analysed the welfare effects of rural-urban migration on migrant-sending households, examining both economic and social counterfactuals using survey data from 1,132 households across five regions.