The Diaspora Affairs Office of the President (DAOOP) recently held its maiden Ghana Diaspora Townhall Meeting at the Christiansborg Castle in Osu, Accra. The meeting, themed "Listening Today, Building Tomorrow: Strengthening Ghana's Partnership with the Diaspora," aimed to provide a platform for direct dialogue between the government and the Ghanaian and African diaspora community. This initiative seeks to address concerns and create opportunities for greater participation in national development. The event was attended by members of the diaspora and representatives from various private and public institutions.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, Kofi Okyere-Darko, emphasized the importance of the meeting, citing the need for a direct and honest conversation with members of the diaspora. He stated that the objective was to listen to what had worked, what had not worked, and what could be done differently to strengthen the partnership. Okyere-Darko also noted that the future of Africa would not be perfect without the contribution of the diaspora.
Since 2016, when President John Dramani Mahama conferred citizenship on some members of the diaspora, many more had acquired Ghanaian citizenship. Okyere-Darko said it was essential to obtain feedback from them and facilitate solutions to the challenges they faced, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to Ghana's economy. To ensure that concerns could be addressed during the engagement, DAOOP brought together about 30 private and public institutions.
Some members of the diaspora who participated in the meeting expressed concern about the high prices attached to items such as rent, land, and real estate when they sought to acquire them. However, they commended DAOOP for organizing the event and expressed optimism that the initiative would help address some of the difficulties they encountered.
The programme featured nine thematic listening sessions covering various topics, including citizenship, immigration, residency, and the National Identification Authority (NIA); property and real estate; tourism, culture, and heritage; business registration and investment; employment, skills, and knowledge transfer; diaspora engagement and integration; education and youth; infrastructure and public services; and health and safety.
The townhall ended with the presentation and adoption of key recommendations and priority actions for 2026 and 2027. These recommendations are expected to inform an institutional action matrix to guide continuous engagement between the government and the diaspora. Okyere-Darko stressed that the engagement would not end with the townhall, and concerns raised would be considered in the formulation of future government policies.
The Ghana Diaspora Townhall Meeting is an annual event intended to provide a structured platform for direct dialogue between the government and the diaspora. The meeting allows concerns to be raised and addressed while creating opportunities for greater participation in national development. The initiative is expected to strengthen collaboration between the government and the Ghanaian and African diaspora community.
Key points
- The Ghanaian government seeks to strengthen collaboration with the diaspora community through the annual town hall meeting.
- The meeting provided a platform for direct dialogue between the government and the diaspora, allowing concerns to be raised and addressed.
- The initiative aims to create opportunities for greater participation in national development and inform future government policies.
