The Ghanaian Times welcomes the 524 African diasporans who were on Tuesday granted Ghanaian citizenship at an official ceremony held at Accra International Conference Centre.
It is the hope of Ghanaians, home and abroad, their “fresh compatriots” would always remember the oath of allegiance administered to them and live as good citizens of the nation.
And they can do this better by learning the ways of life of Ghanaians that make strong positive impact on the wellbeing and welfare of the people they have come to join.
This paper can say that there are going to be challenges to face like tortuous roads, unfamiliar foods and scenes, and even unexpected attitudes from some people.
However, these can be overcome by everyday learning about the people.
The good news is that there are some of your kind already in the country with whom you can establish contact and learn from to guide your stay in the country.
This paper would like to advise that as you trace your roots, you must be prepared to get integrated into the larger Ghanaian society.
This country is comprised of tribes or ethnic groups and you can choose to belong to any of them.
It would make you truly Ghanaian if you can boldly point to the one you belong to.
With that done, you begin to learn their language and other elements of that culture.
If you already have Ghanaian friends, treat them as relatives and join their ethnic groups.
Sometimes, some of us wonder why diasporans choose to relocate to places in Africa like our country where most of the facilities in the US and other metropolitan countries are lacking. The expected good road, rail, water domestic travel facilities are missing here.
This makes us believe that there is a burning desire in you guys to trace your roots and this is a good enough drive to bring you here, despite the number of years you have spent living wherever you are coming from.
Hopefully, this desire would make you want to put your knowledge, expertise, financial muscle, various experiences and what not at the disposal of your new country to help make it a better place for all of us.
That is to say invest in the country to propel its development.
We join President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in saying that you are human bridges connecting us across the Atlantic. Your presence dispels misconceptions and tells a new story of unity, pride, and potential.”
As the diasporans have chosen to live with us, we should spare them all the negative attitudes that can make them rethink their decision.
Let’s give them the needed attention wherever they may be by offering them all the assistance they would solicit.
Even though by law, the fresh citizens are Ghanaians, they would need guidance in many situations and they may not be denied this.
We can guess that some bad lots in the society are already plotting to swindle them in a way and so all good citizens should be prepared to guide them.
The Ghanaian Times believes the fresh citizens would enjoy blissful life in the country.