DREC 2025 Opens in the UK with Call for a Bold Diaspora

The 2025 Diaspora Reset Engagement Conference (DREC 2025) opened in London with a stirring appeal for deeper collaboration between Ghana and its global diaspora community. Delivering the keynote welcome, Kenneth Johnson, President of the Professional Forum UK & Europe, urged policymakers to recognise the diaspora not only as financial contributors but as strategic partners in national development.

Addressing ministers, diplomats, professionals, and community leaders from across Europe and North America, Johnson emphasised that Ghana’s story extends far beyond its borders. “A nation is not defined by its borders, but by its people,” he said, noting the impact of Ghanaians in cities from Aberdeen to Amsterdam, London to Ottawa. The diaspora, he added, continues to demonstrate Ghana’s “excellence and resilience across continents.”

DREC 2025, he said, must represent more than an annual gathering. It should become a “reset”—a space where identity fuels innovation and global talent is mobilised for local transformation. Too often, diaspora contributions remain invisible, he argued, despite their central role in sustaining families and strengthening national resilience.

A Multi-Billion-Dollar Lifeline

Johnson highlighted the sheer scale of diaspora remittances, underscoring their relevance to economic planning. Ghana received over US $4.6 billion in officially recorded remittances in 2023. When informal channels are included, estimates for 2024 rise as high as US $11.5 billion. In recent years, remittances have accounted for more than 6% of Ghana’s GDP—“not marginal,” he noted, “but monumental.”

The trend is mirrored across the continent. Nigeria received more than US $20.9 billion in 2024, representing 5.4% of its GDP. Johnson described these flows as more than financial transfers: “We are sending hope, opportunity, and transformation.”

But he also asked the critical question: How can this economic power be transformed into structured, sustainable impact? For decades remittances have been framed as a “black tax,” he said, but this narrative must shift. Remittances should be understood as capital—capital that could fuel investment platforms, diaspora bonds, housing cooperatives, and innovation funds capable of creating jobs and building industries.

Policy Lessons and Regional Models

Johnson called for Ghana to study regional examples as it considers new return schemes and reintegration frameworks. He cited Zimbabwe’s Returning Resident Scheme, which allows citizens who have lived abroad for at least two years to import personal effects—and even one vehicle—duty-free. Such policies, he said, demonstrate how governments can welcome their diaspora “not just with words, but with action.”

The Role of the Professional Forum

The Professional Forum, which Johnson leads, was presented as one of the most effective mechanisms for linking global expertise with domestic priorities. He described it as a “living bridge” connecting Ghanaian professionals across sectors and continents, and a reservoir of expertise for national development.

To Ghana’s policymakers in attendance, he issued a clear call: formalise collaboration with the Professional Forum. Sectoral advisory councils, joint innovation projects, and diaspora-led investment initiatives could accelerate progress in energy, technology, finance, education, and healthcare.

“This is how we move from consultation to co-creation, from goodwill to governance, and from potential to measurable progress,” he said.

A Global Ghana, Grounded at Home

Johnson reminded delegates that Ghana’s development is being shaped not only in Accra or Kumasi, but in global institutions where Ghanaians are leading and influencing change. The task now, he stressed, is to connect these achievements and channel them into collective national progress.

Quoting an Akan proverb, he added: “If you wish to stand tall, you must be well-grounded.” For Ghanaians abroad, that grounding, he said, remains Ghana — and that grounding forms the foundation for the “reset” symbolised by this year’s conference.

He closed by urging delegates to use DREC 2025 as a springboard for new ideas, partnerships, and renewed purpose.