By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Oct. 30, GNA – The Decade of Our Repatriation (DOOR) initiative is seeking to promote the permanent settlement of Africans in the diaspora in Ghana to strengthen cultural ties and support national development.
The initiative, spanning 2026 to 2036, is being championed under the theme: “Come Home. Stay Home. Build Home.” It seeks to promote lasting connections between Ghana and people of African descent through permanent settlement, cultural reconnection and economic participation.
The vision was outlined at the Open DOOR Dialogues at the University of Ghana, where hundreds of students, diasporans, academics and members of the university community discussed repatriation and integration.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, Chair of the programme, said the initiative offered Africans in the diaspora an opportunity to reconnect with their ancestral homeland and contribute directly to the continent’s development.
He said repatriation should extend beyond physical relocation to include cultural, intellectual and economic participation in rebuilding African societies.
Prof. Kambon said Ghana had become a leading destination for Africans seeking to re-establish their ancestral connections and participate in the country’s development.
He said the initiative would strengthen collaboration between returning diasporans and local communities in education, entrepreneurship, research and cultural exchange.
Mr Gyakye Quayson, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening diaspora engagement as part of its foreign policy and development strategy.
He said the diaspora contributed to national development through investment, skills transfer, tourism and humanitarian support, underscoring the need for an enabling environment for their participation.
Mr Quayson described the DOOR initiative as a timely effort to deepen Ghana’s relations with people of African descent worldwide and advance sustainable development.
He encouraged Africans across the world to explore opportunities in Ghana and become active partners in building prosperous and resilient communities.
The initiative builds on the Year of Return, Ghana 2019 campaign, which sought to reconnect people of African descent with their ancestral homeland.
The campaign marked 400 years since the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in Virginia, the United States, and attracted more than one million international visitors.
It featured heritage tours, cultural events, investment forums and relocation programmes, and boosted tourism, investment and cultural exchanges between Ghana and the diaspora.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Email: [email protected]