Diasporas, Remittances and Africa South of the Sahara: A Strategic Assessment

This research paper introduction by Marc-Antoine Pérouse de Montclos examines the strategic role of modern African 'ethno-national' diasporas and their financial remittances in countries south of the Sahara. The author analyzes how these transfers contribute to sustainable development, poverty reduction, and debt servicing, while also noting the risks of money laundering and the complex political influence these networks exert on their home governments.

• Remittances provide significant economic advantages to recipient African countries by supporting sustainable development, reducing poverty through community networking, narrowing trade gaps, increasing foreign currency reserves, and assisting with debt servicing.
• Official remittances reached US$80 billion in 2002, up from US$60 billion in 1998. Unofficial transfers via private systems may be two to three times higher than official figures, making remittances the second-largest source of external funding for developing countries after foreign direct investment (FDI).
• The economic impact of remittances varies significantly by country: in Mali, they funded 81% of the trade gap and 17% of public aid to development in 1991; in Lesotho, they have been three times the average official aid since the 1980s; and in Cape Verde, they were four times the value of international aid (which was US$325 per capita in 1990).
• The political influence of diasporas on their homelands is contingent on the receptivity of the home government and internal pressures. For example, the diaspora helped end the one-party system in Cape Verde in 1991 because the state was able to channel funds toward foreign investment, whereas the diaspora in the Comores appears as disorganized as the state.
• While often beneficial, diaspora networks can be exploited for criminal activities, including money laundering, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and terrorist activities, as seen in the case of Nigeria.

APA

de Montclos, M.-A. P. (2005). Diasporas, Remittances and Africa South of the Sahara: A Strategic Assessment. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/introduction

Chicago

de Montclos, Marc-Antoine Pérouse. Diasporas, Remittances and Africa South of the Sahara: A Strategic Assessment. Institute for Security Studies, 2005. https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Montclos |first1=Marc-Antoine Pérouse |title=Diasporas, Remittances and Africa South of the Sahara: A Strategic Assessment |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=1 March 2005 |url=https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{demontclos2005diasporas, author = {de Montclos, Marc-Antoine Pérouse}, title = {{Diasporas, Remittances and Africa South of the Sahara: A Strategic Assessment}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2005}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }