Migration and Rural-Urban Linkages in Ethiopia

Kolfe, Addis Ababa: In-migration trendsThe recent qualitative interviews carried out by the WeD-Ethiopia team through FGDs inthe four Kolfe urban neighbourhoods have revealed fairly strong economic reasons forthe migration of male urban migrants notably from the SNNPR, Amhara, Oromia and, tosome extent, from Tigray Region.The male FGD respondents mentioned that non-conducive rural environments inducedtheir migration. The main push factors include diminishing farmland sizes in all theirrural localities and fragmentation of small landholdings, lack of rain, recurrent drought,absence of an effective extension system, limited investment in irrigation-basedagriculture, high population pressure on ‘starvation’ plots of land, lack of off-farmemployment opportunities and imposition of heavy taxes. In addition to this, pull factorsmentioned by the urban male migrants included increasing construction activities,demand for urban domestic workers, better pay for service work and social support fromthe long-term migrants.As far as the female migrants are concerned, our exploratory survey of Kolfe areaindicates that female migrants from the south, notably from Gamo area in the SNNPR,moved to Addis Ababa to join their spouses who had already migrated on a permanentbasis to work in the capital. However, female migrants from the Gurage area also in thesouth, moved to carry out small trading and find employment in the service sector such asin small restaurants, and tea and pastry shops.There are also female migrants from Amhara and Oromia regions who are engaged: indomestic work as housemaids, cleaners and nannies; in the service sector as waitresses insmall bars, restaurants and local taverns; in the small business sector in injera baking, androad-side food sale; in the construction sector, loading and unloading constructionmaterials; and in commercial sex work. Among the latter, step-wise movement to thecapital is common. Many had moved to small towns and provincial capitals beforeheading to their final destination in Addis Ababa.Except for the small proportion of women who migrated to Kolfe on a long-term basiswith spouses or families since the Socialist Period in 1974, most female migrants, notablythose from the north, are divorced and widowed women who are in their activereproductive age. One reason why these categories of female migrants consider migrationoutside of their place of origin to be an alternative livelihood strategy is that until recentlywomen were not directly entitled to have access to farmland (Askale, 2004). Even if theymanage to get land, the plough-based agriculture in the highlands of Ethiopia requiresmale labour and sharecropping often involves losing a large proportion of the harvest.In addition, divorced women are socially stigmatised, being suspected of having multiplesexual partners and are blamed for increasing prostitution. This seems true for the femalemigration trend in Addis Ababa (Bethlehem, 2005). According to Eshetu (2005), amongthe major reasons for female migration from North and South Wollo, and North Shewa,26