When I first arrived in Anambra State years ago for my academic pursuit, I could already see a state on the move. Each December, the streets of Onitsha, Awka, and Nnewi come alive, not just with the music, colors, and festivals that mark the season, but with a quiet kind of love that flows through bank transfers, money orders, and mobile apps. This love comes from sons and daughters of Anambra in faraway lands, people who, though oceans apart, remain deeply rooted in their homeland. Their remittances are more than money; they are seeds of growth planted in the fertile soil of Anambra’s economy.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria received over $21 billion in remittances in 2022, and Anambra, being one of the most entrepreneurial states, is a major beneficiary. These inflows surpass oil revenues in some years, making them one of the strongest forces behind local development. Across the state, the results are visible: small shops expanded into supermarkets, family homes transformed into modern estates, and community schools refurbished through funds sent by loved ones abroad. In Ihembosi, Ekwusigo LGA, scholarships, free schooling, and classroom renovations have been made possible by diaspora contributions. In Awka and Nnewi, countless small and medium-scale businesses have sprung up, powered by capital sent from brothers, sisters, and parents overseas.

What makes today different, however, is the way Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo is harnessing this love from abroad and turning it into structured growth. Through his Homeland Consciousness Initiative ( campaign to sensitise indigenes and investors to think home and take part of their investments to the State), launched in 2025, He has extended an open hand to Anambra’s global family, inviting them to see the state not just as a place of heritage but as a prime destination for investment. This connection is already bearing fruit, diasporans are channeling funds into real estate, healthcare, technology, and industrial hubs, aligning their personal support with the state’s long-term development agenda.

The beauty of this partnership lies in its energy. Imagine a nurse in London whose monthly contribution once ended at paying school fees for a niece, now pooling resources with others to support a community health center. Or an entrepreneur in New York who once built only a family home in Awka, now investing in a start-up hub that will nurture the next generation of Anambra innovators. This is no longer just remittances, it’s a movement. A fusion of love, culture, and progress, where every transfer from abroad strengthens not only families but the entire state.

Today, Anambra stands not only as one of Nigeria’s most commercially vibrant states but also as a glowing example of how a government can work hand-in-hand with its diaspora for sustainable growth. Through this synergy, what began as family remittances has become a vital pillar of economic transformation. Every dollar, euro, or naira sent home is no longer just money; it is a bridge. If money could speak, every dollar, pound, and euro sent from abroad to Anambra would whisper the same thing: “I may be far away, but my heart is still at home.” From London to Atlanta, Johannesburg to Beijing, Anambra indigenes in the diaspora continue to send love back, and it is changing the view of Anambra State.