Livelihood Strategies of Rural-UrbanMigrants in Addis Ababa: The Case of Migrants living and working in Yeka and KolfeKeranio sub cities

Abstract

Ethiopia is one of the countries in the world where most of the population lives in rural setting and where both internal and external migration of citizens is widely witnessed. The country faces complex challenges of food insecurity, overpopulation, drought, political instability, and ethnic conflict. In addition to these issues, Ethiopia faces large challenges with respect to migration flows (World Bank, 2010).In 2005 the country had an emigration rate of 0.6 percent which includes the internal and external migration. Internal migration flows in Ethiopia are currently larger than external flows, but the exact number of people who migrate internally is not known. Internal migration occurs in the form of rural-urban migration, rural-rural migration, and resettlement policies, which are all substantial in Ethiopia (S. Fransen& K. Kuschminder, 2009). Internal migration in Ethiopia has traditionally occurred at marriage when the wife moves to live in the husband’s community. In addition to this traditional internal mobility, urbanization in Ethiopia is a growing trend that puts pressure on urban infrastructure and resources (Sonja and Katie, 2009).