Articles · Vol. 48 No. 4 (2023): Africa Development

5 - Covid-19 Border Policing in Ghana and its Impact on Trans-border Migration and Healthcare in West Africa

  • Samuel Adu-Gyamfi
    Samuel Adu-Gyamfi Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. Their articles →
  • Sebastian Paalo
    Sebastian Paalo Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana
       
    Their articles →
  • Abdul Karim Issifu
    Abdul Karim Issifu Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland. 
     
    Their articles →
Vol. 48 · 2023 No. 4 Africa Development AD

Abstract

The discourses and practices surrounding migration and health have taken a dramatic turn since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts are more concerned about the consequences of the pandemic on these factors in Africa, given the continent’s weak economies and poor health sector, which portends a difficult post-pandemic recovery. However, the discussions have not engaged with two key effects of the coronavirus: the health implications not only on the general populace but also along border towns, and the dilemma of a ‘new’ (il)legal migration. Drawing on Ghana’s border policing as a Covid-19 pandemic governance strategy, coupled with existing debates on health, politics, migration and development, we argue that border policing is likely to create two emerging threats. First, it could cause a ‘new’ health dilemma – hindering long-standing cross-border healthcare access by ECOWAS citizens. Second, sustained border restrictions could deepen the intricacies of migration in West Africa, including the promotion of ‘elite migrants’ over migrants who are seeking a basic livelihood, the changing fate of undocumented migrants, new security threats at border town , and a possible redefinition of traditional rural–urban migration in Africa.

Keywords

Covid-19 cross-border migration health pandemic governance Ghana West Africa

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Author Biographies

  • Sebastian Paalo, Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana

     

     

  • Abdul Karim Issifu, Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland. 

     

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