- Global payments firm, which is a crucial market participant in Nigeria, celebrates UN-sanctioned International Migrants Day
- Firm shares stories of workers and students who have gone abroad and sent money home to family and friends
- “Migrants have made remarkable contributions to the global economy, often their struggles against adversity and their selflessness to help others is overlooked,” says local WorldRemit boss
Global cross border payments firm WorldRemit has marked International Migrants Day by celebrating the stories of those who have emigrated.
International Migrants Day, which is celebrated on December 18th, is a significant international day which was allocated by the United Nations’ General Assembly in 2000.
It is currently marked once a year.
The celebrations from WorldRemit were particularly active in Nigeria this year, where the online money transfer company has a significant presence.
The firm released a range of stories of people from the country who had benefitted from its services while they themselves had moved abroad.
One such story came from David Amina, a student who comes from Bauchi State.
He told of his decision to send money home to his family while he was studying – and praised the “competitive” exchange rates offered by WorldRemit.
He moved to Britain temporarily to study, and used the services of WorldRemit to transfer some of the earnings he made from his part-time retail job back home.
“Funds sent through WorldRemit during my stay in the UK were used to support food, school fees and accommodation,” he was quoted as saying.
“It contributed to a life-changing experience for my family health-wise and improved our standard of living. I was able to save money to build a house and buy a motorbike. WorldRemit is fast, easy to use and instant.
“The exchange rate is also competitive,” he added.
Nigeria is a major payment area for remittance firms. Remittances to Nigeria are estimated to account for around $25 billion US dollars – which was 6.1% of the country’s 2018 GDP.
WorldRemit has responded to this by taking on a growing chunk of this demand.
And around the world, it offers the chance to send funds from more than 50 nations through both its website and its mobile app.
Pardon Mujakachi, who is Head of Sub-Saharan Africa for WorldRemit, pointed out that many of the efforts made by migrants to help others had also been “overlooked”.
“Migrants have made remarkable contributions to the global economy, often their struggles against adversity and their selflessness to help others is overlooked.
“December 18 is about applauding their achievements, we are honoured to serve these communities in across the globe, and helping them send money back to Nigeria to build a stronger economy for their families and friends,” he added.
If you’re aiming to stay ahead of the curve in the online money transfer world, why not head over to our magazine pages? You’ll be able to find out all the latest about firms such as WorldRemit and what they’re up to.
