President Akufo-Addo has granted citizenship status to 524 members of the Diaspora in accordance with law.
They are from America, Europe and the Caribbean. The granting of citizenship is part of the government’s Beyond the Return policy launched after the Year of Return. Their Ghanaian citizenship certificates were issued to them by the President on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 after they swore the citizenship oath at a memorable ceremony in Accra.
“So on behalf of every Ghanaian, I welcome you with open arms. I hope you find in Ghana not just a place to live, but also a place where you truly belong, a place where your soul feels at home,” President Akufo-Addo said in his remarks.
The ceremony on Tuesday was the third undertaken by the Akufo-Addo government since 2019. President Akufo-Addo said he felt a sense of pride, joy and anticipation for the future they are building together.
MEMORIES
According to him, the third citizenship ceremony, embracing 524 people, brings back memories of the first one in 2019, then 2022.
Each of those moments, he opined, filled Ghana with excitement, knowing that she was not just expanding in numbers, but also in spirit, purpose and unity.
He remarked that the ancestors of the African continent left the shores in circumstances that were truly tragic and inhumane, but their hearts have kept connection to the African soil.
“Today we embrace you as our own, as fellow citizens of this nation, as brothers and sisters, and as part of the Ghanaian family,” he said to a loud applause.
YEAR OF RETURN
President Akufo-Addo mentioned that since the year of return in 2019, Ghana witnessed a powerful reaffirmation of the shared history and resilience.
He said that year was more than just a commemoration of a painful past, but a reminder that we as Ghanaians, indeed as Africans, are bound together by a deep, unbreakable connection.
The year of return commemorated the anniversary of 400 years since the first recorded slaves were settled in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1619, when hundreds of thousands travelled back to Africa.
While appreciating the Diasporans, President Akufo-Addo said some of them felt the call then and have worked to nationalise.
“Today, as we grant you citizenship, we welcome you not just as visitors but as Ghanaians, fully and forever. Ladies and gentlemen, to be Ghanaian is more than a title or a passport. It is a way of life,” he remarked.
The Minister for the Interior, Henry Quartey, told the Diasporans that after the event, they would have the right to apply for Ghanaian passports.
He, however, advised them that as they take up the citizenship, they should respect “and abide by the laws of our land, and live by the tenets of our 1992 constitution.
