This archive report was first published on 5 December 2019.
On Wednesday, 126 foreign nationals who had lived in Ghana for many years were granted citizenship, marking a significant milestone in the country's Year of Return celebrations.
According to the ceremony, the individuals conferred with Ghanaian citizenship join a generation of people in the diaspora, including civil rights activists who have committed their lives to the country.
Among the notable figures who received citizenship were William Edward Burghart, W.E.B. Du Bois, and American poet Maya Angelou, who had lived in Ghana for several years.
President Nana Akufo-Addo expressed his delight at the decision of the foreign nationals to make Ghana their home, saying, 'I am glad you have decided to make Ghana your home and thereby join several generations of Diasporans, who committed their lives to us.'
The Year of Return campaign, launched in 2018, aims to encourage people of African descent, whose ancestors were victims of the brutal slave trade, to return to Ghana.
With about 75% of the slave dungeons on the west coast of Africa located in Ghana, the country recognizes its role in history where people were enslaved and exchanged as modes of trade.
President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the country's responsibility to extend a hand of 'welcome back home' to Africans in the diaspora, stating, 'That is why we had a responsibility to extend a hand of 'welcome back home' to Africans in the diaspora. Many have responded to this call.'
Ghana has legislation, such as the Right of Abode law of 2000, that allows people of African descent to apply for citizenship.
