Determinants and impact of rural-urban migration: a case study of selected communities in Western Nigeria
Essang, S.M.; Mabawonku, A.F.
African Rural Employment Paper, Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University 10: 34
1974
Document Number: 515012
This economic analysis of migration is designed to test a number of hypotheses about the causes of out-migration from agriculture and the effects of the out-migration on the rural economy in Western Nigeria. Data were collected from 180 families in six villages in Western Nigeria and 480 migrants from these 180 families who were living in urban areas in Western Nigeria and in the capital city of Lagos during 1971-72. The results of a multiple regression analysis of 480 migrants indicate that the age of the rural family, the education level of a migrant, the distance between the migrant's village and an urban centre, the rural-urban earnings differential, and the availability of relatives in urban areas are significant explanatory variables in the rural-urban migration of the villages studied. While the index of urban attractiveness is also positively related to rural-urban migration, the coefficient is not significant at the 5 per cent. level. The findings suggest that out-migration is associated with increased outlay on hired labour, increased farm size, higher rural earnings per head and a net transfer of capital from the rural to urban areas. Policy implications which emerge include: (1) a need to narrow the urban-rural earnings gap; (2) policy makers should bear in mind that the provision of social amenities in rural areas will not in themselves stem the flow of out-migration unless employment opportunities in rural areas are expanded along with social services; (3) since the level of education influences the rate of out-migration from agriculture, educational policy should tailor investment in education to the demand for labour in urban areas; (4) the increased cash outlay on hired labour and the net transfer of funds from agriculture accompanying the out-migration process have important implications for the demand for agricultural credit and the process of agricultural development in the Western State of Nigeria.