The Bank of Ghana is turning its attention to structured financial instruments and diaspora-focused investment schemes to boost the country’s inflows from remittances, following a noticeable decline in the UK corridor in 2025.
According to the central bank, remittances from the United Kingdom accounted for 17.5 percent of total inflows during the January–September period, down from 27.6 percent in the same period of 2024. While remittances remain a crucial source of foreign exchange and household support, the Bank sees significant untapped potential to channel these funds into long-term, productive investments.
“There is considerable scope to scale up remittance inflows from the UK through well-targeted policy measures and incentive-based frameworks,” said Governor Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama.
The Bank of Ghana is exploring new mechanisms to transform diaspora savings into structured investment capital. This includes diaspora bonds, collective investment schemes, and other capital market products designed to attract patient capital while providing transparent returns for investors. The central bank is providing formal channels for investment to make diaspora inflows more predictable and impactful for the domestic economy.
“The next phase of our policy focus… is to complement remittance inflows with structured, investment-oriented instruments,” Governor Asiama added.
Diaspora bonds have been successfully used in other emerging economies, such as India, Israel, and Ethiopia, to mobilize long-term capital for infrastructure, housing, and business development. The Bank of Ghana aims to replicate this model, providing the Ghanaian diaspora with credible, regulated options for investing back home.
Redirecting remittances into productive sectors, the Bank aims to finance SMEs, modernize agriculture, expand housing, and create jobs, while reducing reliance on short-term capital inflows. This strategy also aligns with ongoing reforms to improve capital market depth, liquidity, and transparency.
The decline in UK remittance inflows has prompted the Bank to also look at incentive-based frameworks and digital payment improvements to make sending funds home easier, cheaper, and more secure.
The central bank plans to engage the diaspora through roadshows and outreach campaigns across key regions, including the UK, to introduce these investment opportunities. Transforming remittances from simple cash transfers into structured, productive capital, Ghana hopes to unlock a new source of stable financing that benefits both the diaspora and the domestic economy.
