Recent evidence indicates that the increasing levels of poverty in urban areas in Ghana are
partly attributed to net migration of poor people to cities. However, evidence of the
linkages between urbanisation, rural-urban migration and poverty outcome is mixed. In the
light of the rapid pace of urbanisation and the resulting pressure on public facilities, policy
prescription has largely occupied itself with attempts to curb rural-urban migration. There is
a widely held perception – as emphasised in a number of policy documents – that ruralurban
migration cannot lead to positive outcomes for migrants, their areas of origin, or
destination. Recent poverty reduction strategies and urban policies tend to focus on the
negative aspects of migration and little support is provided for rural-urban migrants in
Ghana. Yet, the relationship between rural-urban migration and poverty reduction is not
adequately understood nor explored. This study examines the livelihoods of poor migrants
living and working in two urban informal settlements in Accra: Nima and Old Fadama. The
findings suggest that, despite living in a harsh environment with little social protection, an
overwhelming majority of the migrants believes that their overall well-being has been
enhanced by migrating to Accra. Using their own ingenuity, the migrants build houses and
create jobs in the informal sector and beyond in order to survive and live in Accra. The
migrants are also contributing to poverty reduction and human capital development back
home through remittances and investments. Yet, official assessments and perceptions of
urban poverty do not take into account the fact that poor people are attracted to urban
areas to utilise the multiple economic opportunities there, but instead only focus on head
count measures that do not recognise these dynamics. Our findings show that urban slums
are not just places of despair and misery, but places where migrants are optimistically
making the most of their capabilities and are trying to move out of poverty, despite the
obvious difficulties. Therefore, we urge the need for a more nuanced understanding of the
connections between the migration of the poor to urban areas and the impacts that this is
having on their long term prospects to exit poverty.