DOOR initiative launches Open Door Dialogues to boost diaspora ties
The Decade of Our Repatriation (DOOR) initiative has launched its Open Door Dialogues, aimed at strengthening ties between Ghana and the African diaspora and creating more opportunities for investment, skills transfer and permanent resettlement.
The launch, held at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, brought together government officials, diplomats, academics, traditional leaders, entrepreneurs, students and members of the African diaspora.
Held under the theme: ‘Ghana’s Great Brain Gain: Conversations, Opportunities, Ownership and Repatriation,’ the programme forms part of the broader 2026–2036 Decade of Our Repatriation initiative, which seeks to position Ghana as a leading destination for Africans in the diaspora looking to reconnect with their roots and contribute to national development.
Opening the event in Accra, the Convener and Co-founder of DOOR, Professor Obadele Kambon, said the initiative was set up to organise and simplify the repatriation process for people of African descent.
He said DOOR would serve as a trusted platform linking returnees with credible institutions, businesses and government agencies through partnerships and memoranda of understanding.
Prof. Kambon explained that the initiative would provide reliable information and practical support to diaspora Africans wishing to relocate, invest or set up businesses in Ghana.
Delivering the keynote address, the President’s Special Envoy to the Caribbean, Mr Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, described himself as “a bridge between two shores that share one heartbeat.”
He said that although the transatlantic slave trade had separated Africans from their homeland, history had shown that the bond between Africa and its descendants remained strong. “The ocean that once separated us has now become the bridge that brings us back together,” he said.
Mr Darkwah said the Open Door Dialogues would turn the long-held dream of returning home into practical opportunities for investment, collaboration and cultural exchange.
Conveying greetings from President John Dramani Mahama, he said government remained committed to deepening ties between Ghana, the Caribbean and the wider African diaspora, and urged Africans everywhere to work together to build a common future rooted in unity, shared heritage and economic cooperation.
The Minister of State at the Department of the State of the African Diaspora (SOAD), Ambassador Millie Tucker, said her outfit represented about 350 million people of African descent living outside the continent.
She explained that SOAD was established to formalise the African Union’s recognition of the diaspora as Africa’s “Sixth Region” and to promote stronger political, economic and cultural partnerships.
Ambassador Tucker said repatriation should not be understood simply as relocating to Africa.
Speaking on behalf of the Barbados High Commission in Ghana, First Secretary David Gibbs said the Open Door initiative would help deepen cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean, noting that the Atlantic Ocean, once a symbol of separation, had become a bridge for renewed partnership and development.
The Bank of Ghana Chair in Finance and Economics, Professor Imhotep Alagidede, described the African diaspora as one of the continent’s greatest economic assets.
He said Africa needed to look beyond its natural resources to the knowledge, skills and financial resources of Africans living abroad, adding that diaspora remittances continued to play a major role in Ghana’s economy.
BY ENOCH NTIAMOAH SIAW & HILDA NSAMI**
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