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Int. Migration & Integration (2016) 17:723744 DOI 10.1007/s12134-015-0435-z
Mavis Dako-Gyeke1
Published online: 16 May 2015# Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
Abstract Migration is a multidimensional phenomenon with both positive and negative effects. However, the extent to which migration positively or adversely affects the life opportunities of people, especially the youth abroad, is partly influenced by the aspirations and expectations of the migrants prior to embarking on their journeys. Drawing on macro-, meso-, and micro- level migration theories, this qualitative study explored the intentions for out-migration among final-year university students in Ghana. Thirty-four students (16 males and 18 females) were purposively recruited as participants for the study. Each person participated in one of four digitally recorded focus group discussions. The data was analyzed to identify emerging themes that addressed the objectives of the study. Participants were final-year undergraduate and graduate university students, and their ages ranged between 22 and 34 years. Analysis of the data revealed that participants were eager and determined to leave Ghana, in order to seek better lives abroad. Improved standard of living, employment opportunities, and the prospects for further education featured prominently in participants discourses about intended migration. Additionally, the findings indicated that participants intentions to migrate were based on comparison between constraints in Ghana and opportunities abroad. The findings of the study draw attention to the need for research and policies that consider the aspirations, interests, and voices of youth who desire to migrate abroad.
Keywords Abroad . Aspirations . Ghana . Intentions . Out-migration . Youth
Introduction
Migration within and across national borders is a phenomenon which dates back to the distant past. In Africa, for instance, spatial mobility is a socio-historical
* Mavis Dako-Gyeke mavisdako@yahoo.com
1 Department of Social Work, School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Exploring the Migration Intentions of Ghanaian Youth: A Qualitative Study
724 M. Dako-Gyeke
aspect of life because in the region, diverse forms of migration, both voluntary and compelled, are widespread (Adepoju 2006). In view of the fact that it is a multidimensional phenomenon, migration can have both positive and negative effects on migrants. It can expand opportunities for productive work and lead to a broader perspective on issues among migrants and the population of host countries (Ghosh 2009). On the...