Ghanaian Vice President meets with diaspora in Guyana

As part of his official three-day visit to Guyana, Vice President 0f the Republic of Ghana Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia met with members of the Ghanaian diaspora at the Marriott Hotel on Monday.

During the meeting, the Vice President highlighted the importance of Ghana recoupling with its African brothers and sisters around the globe.

“For many years we have been disconnected from the international diaspora, of course because of slavery, but increasingly in Ghana, we are yearning to be reconnected with the African diaspora.

It is, of course, for many reasons. It is almost like you have lost a family member for many years and you are trying to connect with that family member, and we are never really complete as a country, as a continent until we can make that reconnection and make it work.”

The year 2019 was declared “Year of Return,” by Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo. The event aimed to draw members of the Ghanaian diaspora back to their homeland.  The President had underscored the importance of the diaspora which is often referred to as the sixth region of Africa.

Further, the launch of the year of return in 2019, positioned Ghana as a key travel destination for African-Americans and Africans in the diaspora.

As part of efforts to promote the Year of Return, President Akufo-Addo became the first Ghanaian president to visit Guyana. His visit was part of a five-region Caribbean tour, during which Guyana conferred upon him, the highest national award.

Meanwhile, Vice President Bawumia related to the diaspora engagement that the Year of Return has become the pivot around, which engagements with the African diaspora and African communities revolve.

“The follow-up project, Beyond the Return,” the VP explained, “seeks to create other opportunities across other sectors of the economy and provides a platform for sustained dialogue among the people of African descent.”

This is a ten-year project under theme, “A decade of African renaissance.” It is built on seven pillars including investments and African heritage, innovation and diaspora pathway to Ghana. The west African nation is adopting a platform for the endorsement of legal frameworks in key sectors to drive development, and this has culminated in the Homeland Return Bill.

“The Homeland Return Bill recognises Ghana’s moral and spiritual obligation as an African nation to facilitate the diaspora to Ghana, the motherland and to initiate the legal and regulatory processes into integrating them into Ghanaian society,” he related.

Once passed, Dr. Bawumia said the law will provide the much needed regulatory and practical changes to improve the requirements for the acquisition of Ghanaian citizenship and the permanent residence of Ghanaian diaspora.