By Boniface Ihiasota
Ghana made 126 foreign nationals who have lived in the country for many years it’s citizens as part of the country’s Year of Return celebrations.
The group lifted their hands as they took their oath of allegiance and became the country’s citizens wearing colorful traditional attire and holding the country’s national flag.
President Nana Akufo-Addo congratulated those conferred with Ghanian citizenship on resuming their identity as Ghanaians. The President continued, “In all your actions, I urge you to guard jealously our country’s image. It is a charge, I am confident, you will uphold. In doing so, I suggest that to facilitate the process of re-integration, you learn at least one Ghanaian language of your choice – Akan, Ewe, Ga, Dagbani, Hausa, or Nzema, amongst others.”
1619 is the year that is largely cited as the onset of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. An estimated 12.5 million Africans were forcibly kidnapped from West Africa and shipped away to North America, South America and the Caribbean. 2019 marked 400 years since the first known slave ship landed in Jamestown, Virginia USA.
For many years, Ghana has hosted a number of programs and events encouraging those in the diaspora to return home. President Akuyfo-Addo conducted a five-nation Caribbean tour in 2019 where he approved a landmark agreement allowing visa-free arrangements for citizens of Jamaica and Ghana.
