The complete guide
Digital inheritance in Africa: how families find what is left behind.
Most African families do not lose assets because the law is unclear or because someone took them. They lose them because nobody knew where to look. This guide explains digital inheritance, what it covers, and how to set it up for your own family.
What it is
Inheritance used to be paper. Now it is also passwords, wallets and apps.
Digital inheritance means making sure the people you leave behind can find and reach what you own. That includes the traditional things, such as bank accounts, land and insurance, and the newer things, such as mobile money, crypto and online accounts.
It sits alongside a will, not instead of one. A will tells the court who should inherit. A clear record tells your family what there is to inherit, and where to start.
What counts
The assets families most often cannot find.
Bank and pension
Accounts, fixed deposits, pension funds, insurance policies.
Mobile money
Wallets and agent accounts that rarely appear on any paperwork.
Land and property
Titles, surveys, receipts and who holds the originals.
Crypto and investments
Exchanges, wallets, brokerage and stock accounts.
Business
Shares, partners, suppliers, receivables and who can run it.
Online life
Email, social media, cloud storage and subscriptions.
Why it matters in Africa
The gap is knowledge, not law.
Families often hold assets across several banks, wallets, towns and countries. Much of it is informal or in a relative’s name, and the person who knows the full picture is usually the one who has died. Courts and banks can only act on what the family can show them.
Read our piece on why billions in African assets go unclaimed.
How to set it up
Four steps, about ten minutes.
- 1
Write down what you own
Accounts, property, policies, wallets and documents, and where each is kept. The free next of kin checklist helps.
- 2
Name your next of kin
The people who should be told, in the order you want them told.
- 3
Choose how long is too long
Decide how long you can be silent before anyone is contacted.
- 4
Stay in control
Check in, update or change anything at any time. Nothing is shared until the time you set has passed.
By country
The rules where you live.
Nigeria
Wills, probate and what your family will need.
Ghana
Wills, probate and what your family will need.
Kenya
Wills, probate and what your family will need.
South Africa
Wills, probate and what your family will need.
Also useful: the intestate succession estimator, the Faraid calculator and our guide for the diaspora.
Questions
Digital inheritance: common questions.
What is digital inheritance?
Is digital inheritance the same as a will?
What happens to mobile money when someone dies?
Can my family access my crypto if I die?
What is a dead man's switch?
Is Remayn available outside Africa?
General information, not legal advice. Remayn is not a law firm.
What remains, lives on.
It takes about ten minutes to tell your family where everything is. Do it today, for them.
Coming soon