Migration, Remittances and Development in Southern Africa

Migrant remittances are a focus of attention worldwide, with debates raging on their impact on poverty alleviation. Less well known is that over a third of remittances to underdeveloped countries originate in other developing countries. Remittances as goods and commodities, and remittances from urban to rural areas are important. This is the case in the southern African region where cross-border migration is commonplace. Remittances to Africa easily exceed development aid, yet the comparative research and publication interest is paltry. The southern African context suffers particularly from a paucity of data. This survey provides information on the profile of the migrant population, remittance flows and usage at household level in five SADC countries, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. It considers remittances both within the region and from Africans in the diaspora. Further factors under consideration are gender, age, education level and tradition.