Following Ghana’s 2019 Year of Return initiative, a  Government of Ghana  initiative  seeking to welcome people of African descent back to the continent in light of  the 400^th anniversary of slaves from the West African coast reaching the USA, the Government of Ghana in December 2019 launched Ghana’s Beyond the Return initiative.

Beyond the Return is a ten-year project which   seeks to engage all peoples of African descent in a positive way, providing them opportunities to collaborate with Ghana in areas of trade, investment cooperation and skills and knowledge development.

The message of Beyond the Return is simple, people of African descent and continental Africans uniting to build Africa together, changing the narrative around Black people and the African continent as a whole, with Ghana leading the charge. 

The Beyond the Return initiative is built on seven pillars. These are:

• Experience Ghana
• Invest Ghana
• Diaspora Pathway to Ghana
• Celebrate Ghana
• Brand Ghana
• Give Back Ghana
• Promote Pan African Heritage and innovation

Speaking at the official unveiling of the seven pillars of Beyond the return, Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, announced the Government’s plan to put in place legislation allowing members of the diaspora to fully participate as citizens of Ghana. Ghana is currently developing legislation to facilitate migration and integration into Ghana specifically for the diaspora community. Through the Homeland Return Act, Ghana looks to offer the opportunity of citizenship to members of the African Diaspora.

Acting in concert with the Office of Diaspora Affairs at the presidency, and in collaboration with other public sector partners, services currently available to the diaspora community through the office of Diaspora Affairs include:  

• Business advisory services
• Matching diaspora ideas and concepts to government initiatives
• Lobbying increased participation for Ghanaian Diaspora in political and economic discourse
• Trade and Investment Facilitation
• Advisory and Support Service for people of African descent looking to relocate to Ghana
• Assistance with organizing and coordinating diaspora events both home and abroad

The strategy of the Office of Diaspora Affairs in championing the Beyond the Return initiative rests on three main objectives

• Creating awareness about opportunities for diaspora business investments in Ghana
• Lobbying for political inclusion of Ghanaians living abroad and;
• Transforming remittances into sustainable development finance

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