President Akufo-Addo Proclaims 2019 As Year Of Return By Diaspora

Ghana has declared 2019 as a year of return by inviting the global African family to a birth-right journey home to the country.

At a colourful launch event at the National Press Club in Washington DC, President Akufo-Addo said the time has come for people of African descent to make the journey back home.

He said Ghana has opened its arms wide to welcome its brothers and sisters encouraging all to come back home and invest.

According to the President Ghana's Pan-African leadership and legacy status were earned not by coincidence but by a conscious effort by the country to validate the struggles, strengths and links between African descendants on a Pan African scale.

He noted the galaxy of African American intellectuals, leaders and creative professionals like Martin Luther King Jnr., WEB DuBois, Maya Angelou, Stevie Wonder etc, who have honoured Ghana by their presence and have in turn been inspired by Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo said never again should Africans allow themselves to be enslaved.

He paid tribute to the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey who more than a decade ago launched a "Joseph project" to reach out to the African diaspora.

The Year of Return is the only centrally organized public-private partnership by an African nation to commemorate the quarter-centenary of the arrival of Africans to the United States.

Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku
The Ghana Tourism Authority under the auspices of the Tourism Ministry is coordinating the year-long calendar of activities in partnership with the Office of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, the Panafest Foundation and the Adinkra group.

The Tourism Minister, Catherine Afeku, said the launch marks the beginning of an entire year celebration of the resilience of the African spirit.

Madam Afeku said her Ministry is working with other public sector agencies to make the return journey easy and seamless.

She said, the recent passage of an Act by the United States Congress, H.R. 1242 – 400 years of African-American Experience Act is a historically significant milestone and presents a unique opportunity for Ghana.

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