As Ghana’s “Year of Return” campaign comes to a close,  President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has launched a new initiative to engage Africans in the diaspora and people of African descent more positively in trade and investing. 

RELATED: Ghana’s ‘Year of Return’ Urges Descendants Of Slaves To Come Home

According to the president, “Beyond the Return” will seek “maximum dividends from our relations with the diaspora in mutually beneficial co-operation, and as partners for shared growth and development.”

The president added, “let us all remember that the destiny of all black people, no matter where they are in the world, is bound up with Africa. We must help make Africa the place for investment, progress, and prosperity, and not from where our youth flee in the hope of accessing the mirage of a better life in Europe or the Americas.”

Year Of Return –A Successful Campaign

Year of Return was a successful campaign for Ghana – who saw a 900 percent increase in the number of visitors to the country in 2019 and more than $1 billion in the local economy.

RELATED: ‘Year Of Return’ Activities Bring $1.9 Billion Into Ghana’s Economy

The purpose of the campaign was to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the time when the first West African slaves touched American soil.  

“It was our hope that the ‘Year of Return’ would be a joyful and learning experience all round for all of us on the continent and our kith and kin from the diaspora, especially in affirming our determination that never again should the African peoples permit themselves to be subjected to such dehumanizing conditions, sold into slavery, and have their freedoms curtailed,” the president said.