Calls for more inclusive and simplified policies to support the integration of Africans in the Diaspora into continental development dominated discussions at an African Diaspora Town Hall Meeting held in Accra.
Participants—including academics, technocrats, and civil rights advocates—urged the African Union (AU) to remove administrative and legal barriers that continue to limit Diasporans’ access to citizenship, investment opportunities, land ownership, and political participation across Africa.
The meeting, organised by institutions such as the Institute of African Studies, the Decade of Our Repatriation (DOOR), and the African American Association of Ghana, focused on strengthening Pan-African collaboration and redefining the role of the global African community in development.
A key voice at the forum, historian and genealogist Kwaku Darko Ankrah, questioned what he described as restrictive processes such as high fees and DNA-based verification for citizenship applications, arguing that historical injustices such as the Transatlantic Slave Trade disrupted ancestral links beyond documentation.
Speakers repeatedly referenced the long-term consequences of slavery, noting that millions of Africans were forcibly displaced and that this historical rupture continues to shape identity and belonging among people of African descent today.
Associate Professor Obenfo Obadele Kambon, who also leads DOOR, described the engagement as part of a broader push for justice, representation, and a unified development agenda for people of African descent. He stressed that the African Union has already recognised the Diaspora as a strategic partner in development and called for stronger practical implementation of Pan-African ideals.
Policy reform was also a central theme, with Vice President of the Association of African Political Scientists Nene Lomotey-Kuditchar urging Ghana and other African states to harmonise citizenship and investment frameworks to ease resettlement and participation.
While acknowledging progress—such as more than 150 Diasporans granted citizenship in March 2026 and over 500 in November 2024 under Ghana’s ongoing repatriation initiatives—participants argued that symbolic gestures must now be matched with structural reforms.
Members of the Diaspora community also shared personal experiences, with some expressing frustration over financial and bureaucratic hurdles they face when attempting to resettle, despite their willingness to contribute skills and resources to Africa’s development.
The forum concluded with a shared call for coordinated action among African governments, the AU, and Diaspora organisations to build systems that promote belonging, ease integration, and fully harness the potential of people of African descent worldwide.
