The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), has called for a deliberate shift in the use of remittances from household consumption to productive investment to accelerate Ghana’s economic transformation.
Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, the Director-General of NDPC, made the call at the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop in Accra.
In an address read on her behalf by Mr Richard Tweneboah Kodua, Director of Research and Monitoring at NDPC, Dr Amoah said although billions of dollars were received annually from Ghanaians abroad, much of those inflows were directed towards household consumption.
The workshop aimed at strengthening the integration of migration and diaspora remittances into national and sub-national development planning.
To address these gaps, NDPC and UNECA have developed practical toolkits to guide policymakers and planners in incorporating migration and diaspora dynamics into the country’s development frameworks.
The training was aimed at equipping participants with the knowledge and tools required to better align planning processes with migration and diaspora inflows.
She, therefore, underscored the need for policies that channel remittances into sectors that would promote job creation, enterprise development, and sustainable growth.
The NDPC Boss noted that approximately 1.7 million Ghanaians lived across 50 destinations worldwide, with their financial inflows accounting for nearly seven percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Those remittances, she added, remained resilient even during global economic uncertainty, and in some cases surpassing foreign direct investment and official development assistance.
The NDPC Boss explained that recent assessments showed that migration issues were not consistently reflected in sectoral, regional, and district development plans and, therefore underscored the need for a more coordinated approach in their collection and utilisation.
Mr. Amadou Diouf,an Economic Affairs Officer at UNECA, emphasised that remittances must be treated as a strategic pillar within national development frameworks.
He noted that Ghana was part of a broader multi-country initiative across Africa aimed at promoting shared learning and best practices in migration and development.
The workshop brought together government officials, development partners, and technical experts to strengthen Ghana’s migration and development framework.
GNA
