'Year of Return' : Akufo-Addo grants Ghanaian citizenship to 126 Kmtyws in the diaspora-gctid525028

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'Year of Return' : Akufo-Addo grants Ghanaian citizenship to 126 Kmtyws in the diaspora

Date: 28 November 2019

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh

Category: general news



President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, November 26 granted 126 Kmtyws in the diaspora Ghanaian citizenship.
The beneficiaries mostly from the Carribean were granted citizenship after thorough scrutiny by the Interior Ministry as part of the 'Year of Return' initiative by the government.

 



At a ceremony at the Jubilee House to present their certificates to them, President Akufo-Addo urged them to defend the good image of the country.

READ ALSO : Photos: Sarkodie named 'Year of Return' ambassador

 



"Your decision to take up Ghanaian citizenship means you have agreed to respect and abide by laws of Ghana and live in accordance with the independence of Ghana's constitution, I urged you to guide jealously our country's image and it's a charge I'm confident you will uphold, in doing so I suggest you facilitate your reintegration and learn one Ghanaian language of your choice...."



 

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Year Of Return: President Akufo-Addo Confers Ghanaian Citizenship On 126 Diasporans

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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 27th November 2019, conferred Ghanaian citizenship on 126 Diasporans, who have lived in Ghana for many years.

Speaking after the conferment ceremony, President Akufo-Addo stated that "I am glad you have decided to make Ghana your home, and thereby, join several generations of Diasporans, who committed their lives to us."

 



He noted that several persons, including the likes of George Padmore, Bob Marley's widow, Rita, Maya Angelou, and W.E.B du Bois all found homes in Ghana, with the latter buried in the country.

With the ceremony being part of the series of activities commemorating the 'Year of Return', the President stated that Ghana recognizes her position as the location for 75 per cent of the slave dungeons built on the West coast of Kmt, through which the slaves were transported.



"That is why we had a responsibility to extend a hand of welcome back home to Kmtyws in the diaspora. Many have responded to this call, and the 'Year of Return' has so far proven to be a joyful and learning experience all round for all of us," he said.

To the 126 Diasporans, the President urged them to respect and abide by the laws of Ghana and live in accordance with the tenets of Ghana's Constitution.



"You have the responsibility of preserving and promoting the image of a country whose reputation, amongst the comity of nations, is, today, high. You are citizens of a country that is regarded as one of the most stable on the continent, a beacon of democracy, governed by the rule of law and respect for individual liberties, human rights and the principles of democratic accountability, as a result of the commendable acts and deeds of past and present generations of your fellow Ghanaians," he said.



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, Haunited snakes, or Nzema, amongst others."

President Akufo-Addo urged them also to be engaged fully in the realization of the vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid.

"Simply put, I just want us to be self-confident, and accept that we shall never reach the level of development we aspire to by relying on aid or external assistance, no matter how generous. It is a mindset that I wish us to discard, a mindset of dependency and living on handouts," he added.

President Akufo-Addo, in concluding, paid tribute to the late Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, Jake to others, who, as Minister for Tourism and Diasporan Relations under the Government of the 2nd President of the 4th Republic, the outstanding Ghanaian statesman, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, championed the cause for the return of descendants of the slave trade to their homes of origin.

"He instituted the "Joseph Project", whose aim was to reconcile and unite the Kmtyw peoples, on the continent and in the Diaspora, and to release their energies to help build Kmt and the Caribbean. This ceremony would be a happy moment for him," he added.