Bank of Uganda and IFAD Launch Remittance Dashboard to Boost Transparency and Financial Inclusion
The Bank of Uganda (BoU), in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has launched a new interactive remittance dashboard aimed at transforming the availability of public data on remittance markets.
Remittances are a vital lifeline for Uganda’s economy, reaching US$2.5 billion in 2025 — approximately 3.8 per cent of GDP, according to new BoU data and IMF estimates.
Historically, detailed information on how remittances move across corridors and through financial channels has been limited, forcing policymakers and regulators to rely on migration estimates or surveys rather than transaction-based reporting.
The new dashboard fills this gap by providing granular data on remittance inflows and outflows, including transaction values and volumes, sending and receiving countries, transfer channels, termination methods, and demographic distribution across Uganda’s districts.
The initiative will help regulators, policymakers, and private-sector actors — such as money transfer operators, mobile network operators, and financial institutions — better understand market dynamics, strengthen oversight, and develop services tailored to migrants and their families.
Key data from 2025 shows over 16 million remittance transactions, with an average value of US$152. More than 93 per cent of transfers were below US$499, underscoring remittances’ role in covering daily household expenses like food, education, and healthcare.
The United States remains the largest sending country, contributing US$702 million (28 per cent of total inflows), followed by Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada.
Digital channels dominate, accounting for 73 per cent of inflows, while 27 per cent arrive as cash through traditional international money transfer channels. Mobile money is the most widely used digital channel, representing nearly 61 per cent of receipts — highlighting digital finance’s growing role in expanding access to financial services.
Uganda remains a net recipient of remittances, with outflows totalling US$402 million in 2025, primarily to India, Kenya, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
The dashboard, to be updated monthly, will also be accessible via RemitSCOPE.org — IFAD’s global platform for remittance data and analysis. It was developed with technical support from IFAD through the PRIME Africa programme, co‑funded by the European Union, and forms part of the National Remittance Stakeholder Network, which brings together regulators, industry players, and development partners to advance Uganda’s remittance ecosystem.
By making this level of detail publicly accessible, the Bank of Uganda sets an important benchmark for transparency — a step few central banks have taken in publishing systematic corridor‑level and channel‑level data.
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