No one knows the exact amount of remittances Africans send home, since not all of it goes through official channels. World Bank figures show that remittances to different regions in Africa hover between one percent and five percent of gross domestic product (GDP), with West Africa receiving around four percent of its GDP in remittances. Total recorded remittances to Africa stood at 60 billion dollars in 2012, up from 41.6 billion dollars in 2011.
These figures show that the more than 140 million Africans working outside the continent are sending far more money to Africa than the development aid funds receive from international donors. In fact, in 2012, official development aid to sub-Saharan Africa totalled 44.6 billion dollars.
The amount of money remitted back to Africa is bound to grow because of the formation of new Diasporas in economically fast developing countries, such as China, Russia, India and Brazil. Currently, more than 70pc of the remittances that flow to Africa south of the Sahara comes from the West, but it is expected that a growing percentage will be sourced from expanding African communities in places such as China.
Data obtained from interviewing African Diaspora members in China indicate that Africans send home anywhere from 1,600 dollars to 16,000 dollars a person annually. If every one of the half million Africans plying their trade in China were doing this, Africans in China would be sending home anywhere between 800 million dollars and eight billion dollars a year.
Foreign remittances have a great advantage over foreign aid funding in that these funds go directly to their targets. Of course, there have been cases in which family remittance monies have been wasted or misappropriated, but this is nothing compared to the legendary inefficiencies of the foreign aid industry. Official development assistance (ODA) and other types of foreign aid funds have been known to be misappropriated at both the governmental and non-governmental levels.
Estimates show that in some cases less than 10pc of ODA funds actually benefit the most vulnerable populations, the other 90pc or so enters the pockets of government officials and even foreign aid workers, who are often paid huge sums to live like kings in the midst of the poverty they are supposed to eradicate.
Another advantage of remittance funds is that they are, for the most part, devoid of conditions. African Diaspora remittances are gifts of love to develop the family by paying school fees, building houses and growing businesses. Foreign aid funds in most cases attract interest, even if the rate is low.
But more importantly, a lot of conditions are imposed by donors, such as the need for structural adjustment programs, public sector deregulation, privatisation and even demands for the overhaul of a country’s political system. Foreign aid can thus be used as a neo-colonial tool to influence the socio-economic and socio-political decision making processes of the recipient countries.
Even though remittances are used mostly for family consumption, while foreign aid funds, such as ODA, are used for public service delivery, remittances go further in improving the general welfare of citizens than foreign aid, given the latter’s dismal record in fund mismanagement.
More should be done to harness the potential of remittance flows. African governments do not seem to have robust policies to attract African Diaspora remittances. Currently, few Africans abroad are allowed to vote in home elections, let alone be consulted over vital economic decisions. One way to draw more remittance funds to Africa is to involve Diaspora communities in the political systems of the countries.
It is also surprising that some Western financial institutions have reacted in ways that can hinder the flow of Diaspora funds to people in need. One such way is to use the excuse that remittances can be diverted – and have been – to finance terrorism in parts of Africa, such as Somalia.
The potential of remittances to drive African growth is huge. It is time the international community harnessed them.
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