Livelihood strategies of the aged in ghana

Abstract

The study analysed the livelihood strategies of the aged in Ghana between 2016 -2019. A mixed-method research design was adopted for the study. Secondary data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey seven (GLSS7) and primary data from the Ashanti Region were used for the study. Purposive and simple random sampling procedures were used to sample participants for the primary data collection. A total of 73 participants were engaged in the primary data collection. Interview and focus group discussion guides were used as research instruments. Data from the GLSS7 were processed with Statistical Product for Service Solutions version 21, while the primary data were processed with NVrVO. The quantitative data were analysed using both descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential (independent sample t-test and regression) statistics, while narrative analysis was used for the qualitative data. The study found that most of the aged were still economically engaged. The aged had adopted multiple livelihood strategies, including pension benefits, remittances, agricultural activities, and incomes from businesses, to enhance their livelihood outcomes. This study is different from other studies because, it analyses the livelihood strategies from a rural-urban perspective. The study recommends that the government of Ghana should revise the retirement age to reflect the sturdy improvement in life expectancy to provide legal backing to the continuous economic engagement of the aged. Ghana should develop a policy to include various informal sectors into pension schemes to enable them to meet their basic needs to improve their livelihood outcomes.