Ghana Urged to Harness Diaspora Potential for National Development and Inclusive Growth
The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, has underscored the critical importance of harnessing contributions from Ghana’s diaspora to drive national development.
Speaking at the *Workshop on Diaspora Contributions to Financing National Plans and Development Policies in Ghana*, Dr Amoah stated: “Diaspora contributions have become increasingly central to Ghana’s development financing and growth strategies.”
According to her, Ghana received approximately US$4.6 billion in remittances from its diaspora in 2023, representing about 6.4% of the country’s GDP. These funds support households, education, healthcare, housing, and community development. However, she lamented that much of this potential remains underutilised, particularly in long-term productive investments and technical collaboration.
“The diaspora brings skills, knowledge, networks, entrepreneurship, and innovation, yet much of this potential remains underutilised, particularly in long-term productive investment and technical collaboration,” she emphasised.
Dr Amoah also highlighted the persistent challenge of brain drain, estimating that Ghana loses about US$1 billion annually in unrealised economic value due to the underutilisation of diaspora skills. She called for structured engagement programmes in education, health, technology, governance, and entrepreneurship to tap into this human capital.
She outlined four key priorities for effective diaspora engagement:
– Strengthening data and measurement systems
– Expanding investment channels and instruments
– Enhancing regulatory and institutional coordination
– Leveraging partnerships and incentives
Dr Amoah reaffirmed the NDPC’s commitment to collaborating with government institutions, development partners, the private sector, academia, and civil society to translate insights from the workshop into actionable policies and programmes. These efforts aim to broaden Ghana’s financing options, promote inclusive development, and strengthen national capacity.
The workshop forms part of the programme *“Strengthening the Link between Migration and Development in Africa”*, which seeks to explore practical mechanisms for facilitating skills and knowledge transfer. It also aims to examine international best practices and draw lessons from countries such as Lesotho, Egypt, Tunisia, and Comoros to guide investment flows and diaspora engagement strategies.
Also speaking at the event, Mr Amadou Diouf, Economic Affairs Officer at the Subregional Office for West Africa of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), emphasised the importance of leveraging diaspora remittances to support Ghana’s development.
He urged governments to fully tap into the potential of remittances and diaspora engagement, stating: “Let us work together to ensure that diaspora contributions fully support Ghana’s development goals and contribute to the prosperity of our continent.”
Mr Diouf revealed that the ECA has launched a multi-country programme aimed at strengthening the migration-development nexus across six Member States, including Ghana. The initiative promotes an interregional approach anchored in South-South cooperation, enabling countries to share experiences and replicate successful practices.
The workshop convened key stakeholders to discuss Ghana’s experience in integrating remittances and diaspora contributions into the upcoming Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (2026–2029).
