Concerns and intentions among young migrants in the shoe-shine business in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Abstract

In sub-Saharan Africa, studies on young people engaged in the shoe-shine business are scanty and also their future intentions in the business are not known. This paper examines the concerns and intentions among young migrants involved in the shoe-shine business in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Through snowball sampling, 191 responded to a questionnaire while 15 others participated in in-depth interviews. The data were analysed using logistic regression and content analysis. The main concerns were injuries, physical stress, exposure to malaria and thieves. Consequently, some of them intend to quit the job in future due to physical stress, aging, declining earnings, inability to combine the job with farming at their places of origin and the precarious nature of the job. The study concluded that the shoe-shine business could be described as a stepping stone to more lucrative and stable jobs due to the challenges involved. There is the need for the National Board for Small-Scale Industries and other relevant state institutions to build the capacities of young people who have already created their own jobs in the informal sector such as the shoe-shine boys to enable them sustain their businesses.

Keywords: Migrants, Shoe-shine Business, Intentions to Remain or Quit, Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana