What If the Diaspora Is Just… Tired?

By Amma Boakye-Danquah

A recent piece by Kirstie Kwarteng for the Atlantic Council has been lingering in my mind. In it, she challenges the idea that remittances can single-handedly fill Africa’s development funding gap.

While the continent received over US$90 billion in remittances in 2023 – surpassing both foreign aid and direct investment – Kwarteng argues this isn’t a sustainable solution. Remittances are largely used for personal consumption, immigrant communities are facing increasing financial strain due to restrictive policies, and younger diasporans are less inclined to send money at all.

Some see these trends as a threat to Africa’s progress. But Kwarteng sees something else: an opportunity to rethink how the U.S. engages with Africa in a post-diaspora-dependent future.

That got me thinking:

What if the diaspora simply isn’t coming through?

Not because we don’t care – but because we’re tired.
Maybe a little broke.
And, honestly, far more skeptical than many would like to admit.

I keep coming back to that Elsa Majimbo clip where she says plainly: “I’m not sending money back home.” The backlash was instant – calls of arrogance, accusations of being “un-African.” But what she said out loud is something many are thinking quietly.

A Generation That’s Seen Too Much

We have watched money disappear into family projects that never materialized – a house that was never built, school fees paid but no degree earned, hospital bills covered yet no treatment received. We have witnessed the hustle, the hope, and the heartbreak.

And now, we are asking for receipts – literally and emotionally.

That’s why I struggle with the way we talk about diaspora giving – as if it’s an endless well of goodwill. As though the only thing standing between Africa and its full potential is another wire transfer from cousins in London or Atlanta.

It’s time we take this seriously.

We need infrastructure. We need strategy.

And we need to stop framing diaspora contributions like it’s still 1986 (shoutout to the brain-drain-era babies in the house!).

People want to give. They just want their support to make sense.

I know there are organizations like Kwanda doing powerful, meaningful work. But I can’t help but wonder – who else?

And how else?

Who is building the platforms, crafting the policies, and designing the trust-based models that make diaspora giving feel safe, impactful, and dignified?

Because here’s the truth: guilt is not a sustainable funding model.

If we are going to meet this moment head-on, we must stop romanticizing the diaspora and start treating them as the complex, strategic, and emotionally exhausted individuals they are.

Who’s Building the Future of Diaspora Engagement?

So I’m asking:

• Who is doing real, measurable work in this space?
• What models are resonating with diasporans today?
• And what would it look like to design systems rooted in trust – not just transactions?

I want to know. I want to be part of the solution.

Amma Boakye-Danquah is an Accra-based entrepreneur specializing in scaling innovation, adaptive leadership, and systems change. With expertise in cross-sector collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and human-centered design, she leads initiatives focused on organizational learning, capacity building, and policy innovation.