Rural Migration, Translocal Connections and Remittances in Burkina Faso

Komi Ameko AZIANU, Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP), Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo

Remittances have attracted particular attention from researchers and policymakers because of their contribution to development. Many studies have focused on migrants' remittances to their households. However, few studies have looked at transfers from a translocal perspective. This study analyzes remittances from a two-way perspective between migrants and their households. It uses data from the "Migration and Translocality in West Africa" project. These data were collected in June 2022, through purposive sampling, in rural communes in three provinces in Burkina Faso. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS software. A total of 811 migrants has been registered, of which 40% send remittances to their households and 4% receive remittances. The results of the multivariate logistic regression show that migrants' remittances to their households are influenced by migrants' age, marital status, main reason for migration, province of origin, household standard of living and non-financial family ties. On the other hand, receipt of remittances from their household is mainly associated with the type of migration, their household's standard of living, and non-financial family ties. Any substantial investment in transport and communication infrastructure will further strengthen intra-family ties, with positive effects on financial transactions and inevitably on development in Burkina Faso.

Keywords: Internal Migration and Urbanization, Families, Unions and Households, Population and Development

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