Accra: Ghana has officially launched the 2025 Diaspora Summit and Awards Gala with a renewed pledge to deepen engagement with the global African diaspora as equal partners in national development and the broader African renaissance. The December summit, themed ‘Resetting Ghana: The Diaspora as the 17th Region,’ will feature plenaries on investment, innovation, and culture, as well as a special reparations conference, culminating in the Diaspora Awards Gala, which will celebrate the contributions of Ghanaians and people of African descent worldwide.
According to Ghana News Agency, the 2025 Diaspora Summit is expected to attract leaders from government, business, civil society, and the global African community to Accra in December. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized at the media launch that the summit would serve as a platform for advancing justice, reparations, and unity among Africans worldwide. Ablakwa declared that participants traveling to Ghana for the summit would enjoy visa-free entry, symbolizing Ghana’s commitment to welcoming its ’17th Region.’
Ablakwa announced that five distinguished Africans would be honored as envoys of the summit, each receiving a diplomatic passport in recognition of their efforts in advancing African unity and cultural identity. The honorees include celebrated YouTuber Wode Maya, UK-based entrepreneur and cultural promoter Lady Dentaa Amoateng, iconic musician Rocky Dawuni, creative entrepreneur Anita Erskine, and renowned visual artist Ibrahim Mahama.
On the topic of reparations, Ablakwa stated that Ghana would continue to champion the African Union’s campaign, with President John Dramani Mahama’s mandate as AU Champion for Reparations recently extended for another decade. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff, assured the diaspora community that their investments and contributions would be welcomed and secured, emphasizing the integral role of the diaspora in Ghana’s development.
Bampoe Addo linked the summit to Africa’s forthcoming ‘Decade of Reparations’ (2026-2036), highlighting the need for Africans globally to pool resources and energies. Kofi Okyere Darko (KOD), Director of the Diaspora Affairs Office at the Presidency, described the summit as a reset in Ghana’s diaspora policy, shifting the perception of the diaspora from remittance senders to full partners in transformation.
Darko noted that remittances reached US$6.4 billion in 2024 and were projected to surpass US$6.8 billion in 2025, contributing about six percent to Ghana’s GDP. However, he emphasized that the diaspora’s true value lay beyond finance, in innovation, entrepreneurship, and advocacy that connected Ghana to the world stage. He outlined his office’s 2025 mandate to ‘build bridges and break barriers,’ with efforts to institutionalize diaspora engagement and partnerships with over 27 ministries and agencies. Initiatives include a 24-hour hotline, residence permit support for returnees, and endorsements for over 100 diaspora-led organizations.