Agriculture and Kayaye (Head Porterage) Menace in Ghana: A Case of Policy or Structural Failure?

Abstract

Most researches on migration have often targeted the host cities where the living conditions and the coping strategies of the migrants are documented. The push factors in their home towns and regions are theoretically being referred. The most common among the factors are poverty and unemployment resulting from the dwindling fortunes in agriculture. The study selected the Northern region because it is the largest, both in terms of agriculture and the supplier of migrants for the kayaye business. The outmigration of this group of people has remained a serious socio-economic dilemma for policy makers in Ghana. The study sets out to review why some selected key policies have failed to reverse this menace. At the same time it examines the structural economy of the region which is generally agricultural. Three different quantitative techniques are used to determine the relationship between labor and agricultural production. Results of all these techniques suggest a significant reduction in the labor employed in agricultural production. This brought to light how agriculture, the traditional occupation of these migrants rejects their labor. With educational and skills barriers to the industry and services sectors, the kayaye business is an inevitable alternative. In the light of these findings, policy recommendations have been provided.