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

This research paper examines the historical and contemporary relationship between African diasporas and their homelands, focusing on political influence, the impact of remittances on national economies, and the social dynamics of migration in Africa south of the Sahara.

• Historical migration patterns, specifically the transatlantic slave trade, established long-term links between West Africa and the Americas. For example, Nigerians represented a significant portion of slaves sent to various regions, including 42% to Jamaica between 1655–1807 and 60% to French Guyana in 1690.
• Modern African diasporas exercise political influence through various means, including lobbying for international aid, supporting opposition movements, or financing political candidates. In 2003, Nigerians in the US pledged US$2.5 million to a presidential candidate who would defend their interests.
• Authoritarian regimes in Africa often exclude their diasporas from domestic politics to prevent opposition influence. Examples include Robert Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe, which barred emigrants from voting in 2000, and the Islamic junta in Sudan during the 1996 elections, which used sugar ration cards for voter registration to exclude nationals living abroad.
• Remittances provide critical economic support, particularly for war-torn countries, enclaves, and island micro-states. In Somalia, private donations to family members from the diaspora provided more than 22% of household resources, with total transfers potentially reaching US$800 million per year.
• Certain small nations are heavily dependent on remittances for their GDP and imports. In Lesotho, remittances equalled up to 50% of the GNP and 90% of the value of imports during the 1980s. In Cape Verde, remittances accounted for 28% of the GDP in 1980, though this fell to 10% by 2002.
• Migration has contributed to the 'feminisation' of migration and the empowerment of women in patriarchal societies. In Lesotho, women migrating to South Africa encountered greater gender equality and rights to individual property, which altered traditional power balances.
• The volume of remittances is influenced by the emigrant's wealth, host country social aid, and cultural ties. For instance, Malian emigrants in France remit significantly more (close to FF10,000 annually) than those in Central Africa (FF1,000) or West Africa (FF300).

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/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/20-may-2008-iss-feature-xenophobia-in-south-africa/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/chapter-1

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/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/20-may-2008-iss-feature-xenophobia-in-south-africa/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/chapter-1.

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/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/20-may-2008-iss-feature-xenophobia-in-south-africa/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/chapter-1 |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/topics/conflict-prevention-and-analysis/20-may-2008-iss-feature-xenophobia-in-south-africa/01-mar-2005-monograph-no-112-diasporas-remittances-and-africa-south-of-the-sahara.-a-strategic-assessment-marc-antoine-perouse-de-montclos/chapter-1}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }