The government has become markedly more creditworthy in recent years, as the ratio of net public sector debt has declined from around 52 per cent of GDP in the early 1990s to some 27 per cent currently.
Remittance flows to developing countries amounted to $ billion in 2016, more than twice the amount of foreign aid that these countries received, and have become an important  source of foreign exchange.1 Similarly, remittance to Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) amounted to $ billion in 2016. These remittances are a critical source of income for many households and provide a highly beneficial insurance function.