Dr Williamson honoured as Nkosuohemaa of Abura Odonase
Dr Cheryl Polote Williamson, an African-American tourism promoter, has been honoured by the chiefs and people of Abura Odonase for her contribution to strengthening relations between Ghana and the African Diaspora through tourism promotion.
She was at the weekend outdoored as Nkosuohemaa of Abura Odonase under the honorary stool name Nana Aba Kwekuwah Somah.
The Omanhen of Abura State, Emintsinminim Otu XI, sent a delegation of 25 divisional chiefs and queenmothers, led by Nana Tsipo Amanfo of Abura, to perform the coronation.
Explaining the decision to honour Dr Williamson, the Abura Obaatan said she had consistently advocated stronger ties between Ghana and the United States of America.
Dr Williamson is currently leading a 20-member United States business delegation on a visit to Ghana.
Addressing a durbar held to mark the occasion, Dr Williamson pledged her undying allegiance to the traditional area and expressed gratitude to the chiefs and people for the honour.
She said that, as part of the celebration of ‘Ghana @ 70’, she would bring a delegation of 70 members of the African Diaspora to Ghana in March 2027 to celebrate with their “kinsmen and women in the motherland”.
“We are coming to Africa, the land of our ancestors, especially to Ghana, which has been geographically proved to be the centre of the world,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF), the apex private-sector umbrella body for tourism trade associations in Ghana, last week appointed Dr Williamson as its Tourism Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs.
The President of GHATOF, Mr Seth Ocran, tasked her with championing diaspora tourism, investment and cultural exchange initiatives between Ghana and the United States, working closely with the federation and its network of member associations.
Reiterating the federation’s mandate, he said: “We connect tourists and business travellers to the right people in all sectors of the Ghanaian economy.”
As part of the visit, a half-day Business and Cultural Summit was organised on Monday, September 14, to orient the 20-member delegation and provide an opportunity for them to immerse themselves in the business and cultural ethos of Ghana.
Presentations were made by the Office of the Diaspora Affairs at the Presidency, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), the Real Estate Agency Council and the National Commission on Culture.
The Office of the Diaspora Affairs defended Ghana’s branding as the Centre of the World, explaining that “the Coordinates confirm it: the exact intersection of the Prime Meridian (Longitude 0°) and the Equator (Latitude 0°) lies in the Atlantic Ocean at coordinates 0.0. Ghana is recognised as the closest habitable landmass to this exact (0,0) intersection.”
On dual citizenship, a representative of the office said Ghana regularly conferred citizenship on members of the historic African Diaspora through executive-led naturalisation initiatives.
He said the latest exercise took place in March 2026, when 150 new diaspora citizens were granted Ghanaian citizenship, bringing the total number of people granted citizenship under the programme to nearly 1,000 since it began in 2016.
In a presentation by the Real Estate Agency Council, its Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Emmanuel Jeffrey, outlined regulations governing the licensing of real estate agencies and transactions involving leases and property purchases.
He also explained the sanctions, including fines and prison terms, for persons found culpable of fraudulent practices.
The Acting Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture, Mr Wakefield Ackuako, meanwhile, assured the delegation of the warmth and hospitality for which Ghanaians are known.
“When the Ghanaian smiles, they mean it. I am sure you have been witnesses to the phenomenon accepted worldwide as of the Ghanaian hospitality,” he said.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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