Remittances from Europe towards Africa: importance, determinants and use, a comparison between Senegal and Democratic Republic of Congo

Andonirina Rakotonarivo, Facultés Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix
Agbada Mangalu Mobhe, Université Catholique de Louvain
Alioune Diagne, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)

From data collected amongst households in Dakar and Kinshasa regions in 2007 and 2008, this paper aims to underline the patterns of remittances from Europe based Senegalese and Congolese migrants. How important are the amounts remitted? What migrants are more likely to remit? Which households are more likely to be recipient? What are the main uses of the money? Results show some common patterns between the two communities but also showed some interesting specificities. More than fifty percent of migrants remitted during the year before the survey, and migrants based in Europe are more likely to remit than others. Amounts remitted are low and mainly used for day to day expenses such as food, house rent and transport. Migrants’occupational status as well as head of receiving households' are strong influencing factors. Non workers are likely to remit less when they are abroad and to receive more in origin country. In Dakar, remittances occur regularly, monthly for a great part of the receiving households. In Kinshasa, they only occur when households are facing problems, and a part is used to pay for school and healthcare fees. Comparing the two communities of migrants, common features in remittances behaviour are illustrated and particularity of each migratory system can be underlined.