The Geography of Remittances in Ghana

Abstract

Migrant transfers and their remittances provide a significant source of capital flows and foreign exchange for Developing Countries. While peripheral regions like Sub-Saharan Africa are underrepresented in the remittance literature there is growing recognition that the region is globally important as a migrant sending zone and that subsequent remittances influence local economies (Yeboah 2008). For example, Ghana has experienced increased migration in the post-SAP era of decentralization, and Bank of Ghana estimates place national remittances in the $1billion range (Mazzucato, van den Boom and Nsowah 2008). However, research has largely failed to address the geography of remittances. In particular, little attention has been given to the usage of remittances by receiving households and how these uses vary with respect to their origin and destinations. My specific objective is to address the disparity in geographical research on remittances and Sub-Saharan African subjects by investigating the geography of remittances between migrant sending and receiving scales in Ghana, how this relates to the uses to which payments are put, and from these what deductions may be drawn about the impact of remittances on development.