Studie konkluderer, at hvis migrantarbejdernes omkostninger til at sende penge hjem (de såkaldte remittances) kunne reduceres til nogenlunde det globale gennemsnit, ville fattige afrikanere derhjemme få et milliardbeløb ekstra oveni, skriver Verdensbanken mandag.
* In 2012 alone, 30 million African migrants sent close to 60 billion US dollar in remittances to 120 million recipients.
* Bringing remittance prices down to 5 percent from the current average cost of 12,4 percent would put four billion dollar back in the pockets of Africa’s migrants and their families.
* South Africa, Tanzania, and Ghana are the most expensive sending countries in Africa, with prices averaging 20,7 percent, 19,7 percent, and 19 percent respectively
WASHINGTON, 28th January, 2013: Every year, millions of migrants leave their homes and families behind to make a living overseas. And every year, these migrants send billions of dollars home to their loved ones, collectively spending millions of dollars on remittance prices in the process.
In 2012 alone, 30 million African migrants sent close to 60 billion US dolllar in remittances. With scarce opportunities at home, the majority of the 120 million recipients in Africa depend on remittances for their survival, health, education, and livelihood.
But the high cost of sending money home means that remittances are not as impactful as they could be.
According to new data from the Send Money Africa database, funded by AIR Project, Africans pay more to send money home than any other migrant group. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most expensive region to send money to, with average remittance costs reaching 12,4 percent in 2012.
The average cost of sending money to Africa as a whole is almost 12 percent, which is higher than global average of 8,96 percent, and almost double the cost of sending money to South Asia, which has the world’s lowest prices (6,54 percent).
Bringing remittance prices down to 5 percent from the current average of 12,4 percent, which is what the G8-group and G20-countries are targeting by 2014, would put four billion dollar back in the pockets of Africa’s migrants and their families.
Læs videre på http://sendmoneyafrica.worldbank.org/feature-story
Begynd fra: “High transaction costs are cutting into remittances, which are a lifeline for millions….”
