Diaspora Remittances and Economic Resilience: A Transnational Development Perspective on Nigeria

Abstract

Diaspora remittances have emerged as one of the most suitable and consequential sources of external finance for developing economies, frequently surpassing official development assistance and FDI in scale and reliability. This study examines the structural role of diaspora remittances in shaping Nigeria's economic resilience, situating the discussion within a transnational development framework and specifically set out to document trends in the volume, service and channel of remittance into Nigeria between 2010 and 2025, assess their macroeconomic and household effects, and identify the structural constraints limiting their conversion into productive investment. The study adopts the quantitative -analytical documentary research design. The evidence shows that Nigerian remittances inflows have remained resilient and counter-cyclical, reaching approximately $20.93 billion in 2024 and stabilising near $28.8 in 2026