Human Capital Development, Labour Migration and Remittance Inflows: Evidence From The Nigerian Economy

Authors

  • OVENSERI-OGBOMO Friday Osaru Department of Economics, Banking and Finance, Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Nigeria.. Author
  • EBURAJOLO Courage Department of Economics, Finance and Investment, Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Nigeria. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70861/ujed20250202003

Keywords:

Human Capital Development, Remittance inflow, Migration, Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag

Abstract

With increasing level of globalization and labour mobility across international borders, capital transfers and remittances are substantially deepened in affected economies. This development could open the space for higher level of economic growth in several economies. The main objective of this paper is to examine the asymmetric nexus among these variables, to establish the impact of human capital development, labour migration and remittances on the growth of the Nigerian economy from the period of 1990 to 2024. The paper was indebted to Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model as an estimation technique. Data were sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical bulletin and the World Bank Development Indicator (WDI). From the result, it was revealed that human capital development as captured by HDI, and rremittances Inflows positively and significantly impact on economic growth in the short run. The coefficient of the Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) was properly signed and significant.Thus, the shocks generated by the explanatory variables can be corrected to restore equilibrium and the adjustment process demonstrates the dynamics existing between dependent and the independent variables. It revealed that about 62 percent of the previous year shocks in economic growth is offset every 12months. It is therefore recommended that the human capital should well developed since the quality of human capital enhances the inflow of remittances and consequently economic growth.

References

Ambrosatti, E., Cela, E. & Fokkema, C. M. (2011). The Remittance Behaviour of the Second Generation in Europe: altruism or self-interest? Ancona:Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali, XIII, p.23

Chengjuan, X.; Qamruzzaman, M. & Anass, H. A. (2022). An Asymmetric Nexus: Remittance- Led Human Capital Development in the Top 10 Remittance-Receiving Countries: Are FDI and Gross Capital Formation Critical for a Road to Sustainability?

Cooray, A.V. (2012). The impact of Migrant Remittances on Economic Growth: Evidence from South Asia. Review of International Economics, 20(5), 985-998.

De la Briere, B., De Janvry, A., Lambert, S. & Sadoulel, E. (1999). Why Do Migrants Remit? An Analysis for the Dominican Sierra. FCND Discussion Paper No. 37.

Elbadawi, I. A., de Rezende Rocha, R. & Mundial, B. (1992). Determinants of expatriate workers’ remittances in North Africa and Europe, (No.1038), Country Economics Department, World Bank.

European Commission (2023). Addressing Issues related to African migrants in the Twenty-First Century: The Role of European Union, European Union Publications.

Gao, X., Kikkawa, A. & Jong, W.K. (2021). Evaluating the Impact of Remittances on Human Capital Investment in the Kyrgyz Republic, Asian Development Bank Economics Working Paper Series, WPS 210189-2

Gushebet, M. & Tsenba, A. (2016). An Analysis of the Effect of Remittances of Economic

Growth: Evidence from the Taiwanese Economy, Asian Journal of Development Studies, 3(2): 56-78.

Hartog, J. (2001). Human Capital: Advances in Theory and Evidence. London, Cambridge University Press, 12-67.

Hoddinott, J. (1994). A model of migration and remittances applied to Western Kenya. Oxford Economic Papers, 46(3): 459-476.

Igbinedion, S.O. & Ovenseri-Ogbomo, F.O. (2020). Migrants, Remittances and Educational Enrolment: Implication for Poverty Reduction in Nigeria, KASU Journal of Economics and Development Studies (KJEDS), 8 (1):147-162.

IMF Committee on Balance of Payment Statistics (2006). Definitions of Remittances, Being a Meeting of the IMF Committee Discussion on what constitute Remittances, Frankfurt, Germany.

International Monetary Fund (2020). Foreign Direct Investment Statistics: How Countries Measure FDI, Washington, IMF Publication.

International Organization for Migration (2022), Migrants and Migrants’ Remittance inflow in Less Developed Countries (LDCs), Publication of the IOM.

International Organization for Migration (2023), Remittance inflow in Sub Sahara African Countries, Publication of the IOM.

Jongwanich, J. (2007). Workers’ remittances, economic growth and poverty in developing Asia and the Pacific Countries. MPDD Working Paper Series WP/07/01.

Jushi, E. et al. (2021). Financing growth through remittances and foreign direct investment: Evidences from Balkan Countries. Journal of Risk and Financial Management: 14(3): 1-17.https//doi.org/10.3390/jrfm14030117.

Jyun-Yi, W. & Chih-Chiang, H. (2008). Does foreign direct investment promote economic growth? Evidence from a Threshold Regression Analysis. Economic Bulletin: 15:1-10.

Kendrick, M.T. (1976). Human Capital Development and Economic Growth, London, Macmillan Press.

Kruger, D. & Kumar, K. B. (2004). US-Europe difference in Technology-driven Growth; Quantifying the role of education. Journal of Monetary Economics, 51(1), 11-41.

Lipsey, D. & Chrystal, N. (2007). Issues in Development Economics, London, Macmillan Press.

Lucas and Stark (1985). Migration in Sub Sahara Africa (SSA): Risk, Remittances, and the family. Finance and Development, 20(2): 21-44.

Mankiw, N.G. (1995). The Growth of Nations. Brookings paper on economic activity, 12 (2), 6-45.

Mankiw, N.G., Romer, D. & Weil, D.N. (1992). A Contribution to the Empires of Economic Growth. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, May, 107 (2), 407-437.

Ogundipe, Y. & Oluwatobi, H. (2010). Evaluating Nigerian Economic Growth from the Perspective of Foreign Direct Investment, Journal of African Studies, University of Ibadan, 4(2): 92-121.

Osili, U.O. (2006). Remittances and Savings from International Migration: Theory and Evidence using a matched sample, Journal of Development Economics, 83(2): 446-465.

Ovenseri-Ogbomo,F.O & Aisien, L.N. (2023). The Implication of Free Trade Area on Dometic Industries: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria, Journal of Economics and Sustainability, 4(2): 40-54. https://doi.org/10.32890/jes2022.4.2.4

Pesaran, M.H. & Shin, Y. (1998). An Auto-regressive Distributed Lag Modelling Approach to Co-integration Analysis, Forthcoming in Centennial Volume of Ragner Frisch, (Ed.), In: Strom, S., Holly, A. and Diamon, P., Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.

Pesaran, M.H., Shin, Y. & Smith, R.J. (2001). Bounds Testing Approaches to the Analysis of Level Relationships, Journal of Applied Econometrics, 16 (3): 289-326.

Plaza, S. & Ratha, D. (2011). Diaspora Remittances and Economic Growth in Africa, Journal of International Business and Economics, 12 (1): 21-45.

Ratha, D. (2012). Outlook for Migration and Remittances (2012-2014), Tenth Coordination Meeting on International Migration, World Bank, New York.

Romer, P. M. (1986). Increasing Returns and Long-Run Growth. Journal of Political Economic, 94 (5), 2-27.

Romer, P. M. (1989). Human Capital and Growth: Theory and Evidence. National Bureau of Economic Research, working paper no. 3173, 12-45.

Romer, P. M. (1990). Endogenous Technological Charge, Journal of Political Economy, 98(2), 7-34.

Schrieder, G. & Knerr, B. (2022). Labour migration as a social security mechanism for smallholder households in Sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Cameroun. Oxford Development Studies, 28(2): 223-236.

Solow, R. M. (1956). A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth. Journal of Economic Research, LXX, 65-94.

Stark, O. (1991). Migration in Less Development Countries (LDCs): Risk, Remittances, and the family. Finance and Development, 28(4): 41-44.

Swan, T. W. (1956). Economic Growth and Capital Accumulation. Oxford: Economic Record, Blackwell Publishing, 32 (2), 334-361.

Todaro, M.P. & Smith, S.C. (2019). Economics Development, 12th Edition, Pearson Educational Services, Asia, Singapore.

United Nations Technical Sub Group (2006). Supporting sub-Saharan African migrants: Challenges within, UNTSG Publications

World Bank (1994). World Bank Reports on Migration in Less Development Countries (LDCs), 1994.

World Bank (2005). World Bank Report on Migration in Less Development Countries (LDCs), 2005.

World Bank (2023). Data from World Bank Economic Indicators.

Zhu, T. R. (2016). Migrants’ Remittances and Economic Growth: Any Relationship? Journal of Governance and Regulation, 3(2): 116-124.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-31

How to Cite

Friday Osaru, O.-O., & Courage, E. (2025). Human Capital Development, Labour Migration and Remittance Inflows: Evidence From The Nigerian Economy. UMYUK Journal of Economics and Development, 2(2), 29-46. https://doi.org/10.70861/ujed20250202003

Similar Articles

11-20 of 21

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.