Migrants' Personal Development: A Historical Focus on Nzema Migrants in Côte d'Ivoire, 1893–1995

A plethora of literature highlights the nexus between migration and development. Such scholarship predominantly focuses on migrants’ remittances and labour which contribute to the development of the sending and receiving countries respectively, neglecting migrants’ personal economic development. This paper fills that gap through an investigation of the economic activities of Nzema migrants in Côte d’Ivoire prior to and after emigration from their home communities. It was found that during the colonial period, Nzema migrants were involved in similar economic activities at both the sending and receiving areas but at the latter, the activities flourished more than at the former. During the postcolonial period, migrants engaged in both formal and informal jobs which positively impacted their economic status. Migrants transitioned from their conditions of unemployment or non-flourishing economic ventures to those of gainful employment and lucrative businesses. Migrants were, therefore, drivers of their own development as well as that of the sending and receiving countries.