President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has launched the ‘Beyond The Return, The Diaspora Dividend’ initiative, a move to enable Ghana to derive maximum benefits from and build on the dividends of the ‘Year of Return’ chatter.
The ‘Year of Return’ Ghana 2019, a government initiative which ends in January 2020, is intended to encourage African diasporans to come to Ghana to settle and invest on the continent.
The move has put a positive spotlight on Ghana and attracted many people of African descent, mainly from the Caribbean and the USA to Ghana in the past few months.
At a brief ceremony in Accra, the President said as the curtain draws on ‘Year of Return’ initiative, it was time to engage Africans in the Diaspora and all persons of African descent to help make Ghana and Africa a place for investment and economic development.
He said the launch of the ‘Beyond The Return’ campaign was to assist those who have decided to settle in Ghana and other parts of Africa assimilate into the society, “so we can derive maximum dividends from our relations in mutually beneficial co-operation, and as partners for shared growth and development.”
President Akufo-Addo, who cited the contribution of Chinese diasporans to the growth of China’s economy, noted that China’s transformation into manufacturing powerhouse in the 1990s was realised mainly because Chinese in the Diaspora shore up the economy with billions of dollars.
He stated that just like Chinese diasporans were critical to the rise of the Asian economic giant, African ought do same for the African continent, saying, “That is why I am excited and keen on this new initiative of ‘Beyond The Return’ and the renewed enthusiasm around building Africa together.
“Let us imbibe in ourselves a deep consciousness and understanding of the goals and histories of the African people… Let us all remember that the destiny of all black people no matter where they are in the world is bound up with Africa.
We must help make Africa the place for investment, progress and prosperity and not from where our youth flee in the hope of accessing the mirage of a better life in Europe or the Americas,” the President said.
He called on all people of African descent around the world to make the 21st century count for the continent by building on the progress made so far to see the growth of modern, prosperous, technologically-advanced nations within a united Africa to bring dignity and respect to black people all over the world.