Surviving on the margins: The impact of COVID-19 on food security among internal migrants in slum communities of Accra

Cynthia  Addoquaye Tagoe; Peter Quartey; Ralph N.A.  Armah; Aba O.  Crentsil; Innocent S.  Agbelie

Cynthia Addoquaye Tagoe Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7287-7843
Peter Quartey Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3473-8500
Ralph N.A. Armah Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4552-971X
Aba O. Crentsil Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3224-9049
Innocent S. Agbelie Legon Centre for Education Research and Policy (LECERP), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5016-1329

Keywords: Slum communities, food insecurity, internal migrants, COVID-19.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated vulnerabilities among marginalised populations worldwide, particularly in urban settings. Grounded in crisis and vulnerability theories and frameworks, the paper explores how systemic inequalities and public health shocks heightened food insecurity and induced diverse coping strategies among internal migrants in Accra. Using a survey of 100 migrants from Old Fadama and Agbogbloshie as well as interviews with four migrants and an assemblyman, this paper analyses food security trends across three time periods: pre-COVID, during COVID and post-COVID, allowing for a comparative analysis of food security across these phases. The study finds that the economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 disproportionately affected these migrants, leading to a range of coping strategies including reducing meal portions, purchasing food on credit, and relying on less expensive foods. While food security showed slight improvement post-pandemic, it remained below pre-COVID-19 levels. The study underscores the inadequacy of formal social protection programmes and, in some cases, the structural exclusion of migrants from these interventions, further deepening their vulnerability. By combining a three‑period application of the USDA 18‑item scale with qualitative interviews among internal migrants in two slum communities in Accra, the study advances understanding of food security among this group in urban Ghana. It reveals how changes in food security are linked to coping strategies and barriers to formal support, thereby informing the design of crisis‑responsive social protection programmes that target migrants’ specific needs in the city.