PETITION TO PRESIDENT MAHAMA ON CITIZENSHIP AND REPRESENTATION FOR THE HISTORIC DIASPORA
PETITION TO PRESIDENT MAHAMA ON CITIZENSHIP AND REPRESENTATION FOR THE HISTORIC DIASPORA
The Issue
PETITION TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
ON THE REFORM OF HISTORIC DIASPORA CITIZENSHIP, REPRESENTATION, AND NATIONAL INCLUSION IN GHANA
To:
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana
Cc:
The Office of Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President
The Honourable Minister for the Interior
Parliament of Ghana, Committee on Petitions
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)
Any other relevant state institutions
Subject: Petition for fair, transparent, accessible, restorative, and representative reform of Historic Diaspora citizenship, representation, and inclusion in Ghana
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned Historic Diasporans, Ghanaians, residents, descendants of those displaced through enslavement, and supporters of reparative justice, respectfully submit this petition to call for urgent reform of Ghana’s framework for Historic Diaspora citizenship, representation, and national inclusion.
Ghana stands at a pivotal moment in its Pan-African leadership. Before the world, Ghana has positioned itself as a welcoming home for descendants of those violently removed from the continent. Yet the processes presently experienced by many Historic Diasporans have too often contradicted that vision. What should be a dignified, restorative, and structured pathway has in many cases been experienced as unpredictable, costly, poorly communicated, and lacking in meaningful representation.
Concerns raised publicly in recent engagements and town hall discussions have been consistent. These include short notice, compressed timelines, communication breakdowns, the absence of permanent constituency-based representation, lack of Historic Diasporans in key decision-making spaces, restrictive evidentiary requirements, and inadequate institutional support for those seeking to repatriate, settle, invest, and build in Ghana. A central concern is also the imposition of a GH¢25,000 citizenship application fee where there was initially no citizenship fee at all.
In particular, the 2026 citizenship process highlighted serious structural problems. These included a newly imposed non-refundable GH¢25,000 citizenship application fee per person, late communication in some cases reportedly giving as little as two days’ notice, background-check requirements that many experienced as blunt instruments of exclusion, and the use or proposed use of DNA and other evidentiary hurdles in a process that should be grounded in reparative justice. It was also reported that although between 2,000 and 3,000 people were interested, only around 150 completed the process, demonstrating that the system as presently structured excludes many of the very people Ghana claims to welcome. Families were also affected, with some unable to proceed together.
This petition is therefore not a request for charity. It is a call for Ghana to align practice with principle. It is a call to move from symbolic connection to a structured, fair, transparent, and policy-driven system worthy of Ghana’s stated commitment to reparative justice and Pan-African leadership.
We respectfully petition Your Excellency to undertake the following reforms:
1. Create a Historic Diaspora Citizenship and Inclusion Advisory Council with real seats at the table.
This body should include representatives of Historic Diasporans from the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and other underrepresented parts of the Historic Diaspora, as well as Historic Diasporans resident in Ghana and relevant Ghanaian institutions. Historic Diaspora representatives on this body should be selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed from outside. Its mandate should include co-designing policy, reviewing implementation, identifying barriers, ensuring accountability, advising on reform, and addressing other matters materially affecting the Historic Diaspora community.
2. Establish a permanent Historic Diaspora representation mechanism within government structures.
There should be formal, transparent, accountable, constituency-mandated representation for the Historic Diaspora in matters that directly affect the community. Such representatives must be selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed by an external body, and they must remain accountable to the people they represent.
3. Include qualified Historic Diasporans within Diaspora Affairs and other relevant state institutions.
Policies affecting Historic Diasporans should not be developed without meaningful lived-experience input from Historic Diasporans themselves. Inclusion in decision-making offices is necessary for credibility, fairness, and informed policy design.
4. Immediately review and suspend the newly imposed GH¢25,000 citizenship fee for Historic Diasporans.
Where citizenship is being pursued as part of reparative justice and historical restoration, the process must not be monetized at a level that excludes large numbers of the very people Ghana claims to welcome. Given that there was initially no citizenship fee, the present fee should be suspended pending review and replaced with a fair, accessible, and restorative framework.
5. Create a family-inclusive pathway to citizenship and settlement.
The process should allow spouses, children, and households to proceed together and should not divide families through cost, timing, or procedural design. Historic Diasporans seeking to settle in Ghana should be able to pursue citizenship through a framework that supports long-term family stability and belonging.
6. Integrate the history and impact of Enslavement and the Historic Diaspora into the Ghana Education Service curriculum.
Ghana’s educational system should teach the history of forced displacement, diaspora formation, and the enduring relationship between the continent and the Historic Diaspora so that future generations understand both the historical rupture and the shared responsibility of repair.
7. Establish a permanent, published, year-round Historic Diaspora citizenship pathway.
Citizenship should not depend on surprise announcements, ceremonial deadlines, or narrow event-driven windows. Ghana should publish a stable and continuous process with clear requirements, timelines, review stages, contact points, and processing expectations.
8. Require a mandatory minimum notice period of at least 90 days for any major changes in fees, requirements, vetting dates, supporting documents, or procedural deadlines.
No applicant should be given only a few days to secure large sums of money, police clearances, criminal record certificates, international documentation, laboratory testing, travel arrangements, and related materials.
9. Permanently remove DNA as a blanket or default requirement for Historic Diasporans.
Where lineage was violently ruptured by enslavement, forced displacement, colonial record destruction, and deliberate historical fragmentation, Ghana must not rely on narrow biological proof as the gatekeeper of belonging. Alternative forms of evidence should be accepted, including historical, genealogical, documentary, communal, cultural, and testimonial evidence.
10. Reform police-clearance and criminal-record requirements so they are not used as blunt instruments of exclusion.
Any review of background issues should be individualized, transparent, proportionate, and guided by fairness, rehabilitation, and due process rather than blanket exclusion.
11. Establish a coordinated support framework in which repatriation services take the operational lead, with government providing recognition, policy backing, and institutional coordination.
Given current limitations in government capacity, budget, staffing, and expertise, repatriation services should take the lead in practical support relating to citizenship, relocation, settlement, land, business, and related matters. The Government of Ghana should provide formal coordination, recognition, standards, and support so that these services can function effectively, ethically, and accountably. This framework should provide case management support, clear referral channels, problem-escalation mechanisms, and regular policy feedback loops.
12. Publish a clear appeals and review process.
Applicants should receive written reasons for denials, deferrals, requests for further information, or exclusion from a given cohort, together with a fair and accessible mechanism for appeal, review, or reconsideration.
13. Ensure multilingual and inclusive access for the full Historic Diaspora.
The process must not operate as though only English-speaking Diasporans matter. Outreach, guidance, and support should deliberately include applicants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Francophone communities, Lusophone communities, and other underrepresented spaces.
14. Develop verified systems and safeguards for Historic Diaspora investment, relocation, and settlement by leaning on Historic Diasporan experts.
The Government of Ghana should develop policies, verified guidance, vetted channels, and protective mechanisms to reduce fraud, land disputes, exploitation, and misinformation. In doing so, it should intentionally lean on Historic Diasporan experts with direct knowledge and proven experience in repatriation, relocation, settlement, land, business, and community integration. Historic Diasporans should be able to invest and settle with confidence and protection under law.
15. Encourage and support Historic Diaspora participation in key sectors of national development.
A fair inclusion framework should facilitate meaningful participation in tourism, agriculture, education, technology, housing, entrepreneurship, and other sectors where Historic Diasporans are prepared to contribute to Ghana’s future.
16. Convene a formal national Town Hall or public forum between the Government of Ghana and Historic Diaspora stakeholders within 30 days of receipt of this petition.
This meeting should focus on concrete policy reform, implementation, and accountability, not symbolism alone. Recognized Historic Diaspora participants in such engagement should be selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed by an external body.
17. Establish a multi-stakeholder working group to guide reform and implementation.
This group should include relevant ministries, the Office of Diaspora Affairs, and recognized Historic Diaspora stakeholders selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed by an external body, together with other necessary institutions. It should have a clear mandate, timeline, and reporting responsibility.
18. Promote Pan-African education and public engagement that move beyond symbolism to substantive inclusion.
National inclusion must be cultural and educational as well as administrative. While symbolic gestures and language, including references such as a “17th region,” may have rhetorical value, they are not enough. Ghana must move beyond symbolism toward substantive structural change, including representation, access, policy reform, institutional support, and material inclusion for Historic Diasporans.
We further request the following immediate actions:
Formal acknowledgment of this petition upon receipt.
Immediate review of the 2026 citizenship process and related Diaspora policies.
A written public response within 30 days stating what reforms will be undertaken, on what timeline, and through which institutions.
Ongoing structured collaboration with Historic Diaspora stakeholders as these reforms are developed and implemented.
Why this matters
The Historic Diaspora is ready to repatriate, invest, build, and contribute to Ghana’s future. But a reparative and Pan-African vision must be reflected in practice. A system grounded in justice should not be prohibitively expensive, poorly communicated, administratively opaque, or structured without the meaningful participation of those it affects.
We are not asking to be included from the margins. We are calling for a structured, fair, and representative system that reflects Ghana’s own stated ideals, strengthens its global leadership, and makes citizenship, belonging, and national inclusion real in practice.
We therefore call on Your Excellency to lead this reform personally, publicly, and decisively.
Respectfully submitted,
The Black Agenda
Shannan Akosua Magee (President of the African American Association of Ghana)
Kevoy Burton (President of the Ghana Caribbean Association)
Decade of Our Repatriation (D.O.O.R.)
Rastafari Council of Ghana
Jamaica Affairs
Abibitumi
Ambassador Millie Tucker
Repatriate to Ghana
Ministry of the Future
Real Repatriation Consultant
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Foundation (MMGF)
Would you like your organization to stand publicly with this petition? To have your organization’s name added as a represented supporter, please email theblackagendagh@gmail.com.
37
The Issue
PETITION TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA
ON THE REFORM OF HISTORIC DIASPORA CITIZENSHIP, REPRESENTATION, AND NATIONAL INCLUSION IN GHANA
To:
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana
Cc:
The Office of Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President
The Honourable Minister for the Interior
Parliament of Ghana, Committee on Petitions
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)
Any other relevant state institutions
Subject: Petition for fair, transparent, accessible, restorative, and representative reform of Historic Diaspora citizenship, representation, and inclusion in Ghana
Your Excellency,
We, the undersigned Historic Diasporans, Ghanaians, residents, descendants of those displaced through enslavement, and supporters of reparative justice, respectfully submit this petition to call for urgent reform of Ghana’s framework for Historic Diaspora citizenship, representation, and national inclusion.
Ghana stands at a pivotal moment in its Pan-African leadership. Before the world, Ghana has positioned itself as a welcoming home for descendants of those violently removed from the continent. Yet the processes presently experienced by many Historic Diasporans have too often contradicted that vision. What should be a dignified, restorative, and structured pathway has in many cases been experienced as unpredictable, costly, poorly communicated, and lacking in meaningful representation.
Concerns raised publicly in recent engagements and town hall discussions have been consistent. These include short notice, compressed timelines, communication breakdowns, the absence of permanent constituency-based representation, lack of Historic Diasporans in key decision-making spaces, restrictive evidentiary requirements, and inadequate institutional support for those seeking to repatriate, settle, invest, and build in Ghana. A central concern is also the imposition of a GH¢25,000 citizenship application fee where there was initially no citizenship fee at all.
In particular, the 2026 citizenship process highlighted serious structural problems. These included a newly imposed non-refundable GH¢25,000 citizenship application fee per person, late communication in some cases reportedly giving as little as two days’ notice, background-check requirements that many experienced as blunt instruments of exclusion, and the use or proposed use of DNA and other evidentiary hurdles in a process that should be grounded in reparative justice. It was also reported that although between 2,000 and 3,000 people were interested, only around 150 completed the process, demonstrating that the system as presently structured excludes many of the very people Ghana claims to welcome. Families were also affected, with some unable to proceed together.
This petition is therefore not a request for charity. It is a call for Ghana to align practice with principle. It is a call to move from symbolic connection to a structured, fair, transparent, and policy-driven system worthy of Ghana’s stated commitment to reparative justice and Pan-African leadership.
We respectfully petition Your Excellency to undertake the following reforms:
1. Create a Historic Diaspora Citizenship and Inclusion Advisory Council with real seats at the table.
This body should include representatives of Historic Diasporans from the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and other underrepresented parts of the Historic Diaspora, as well as Historic Diasporans resident in Ghana and relevant Ghanaian institutions. Historic Diaspora representatives on this body should be selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed from outside. Its mandate should include co-designing policy, reviewing implementation, identifying barriers, ensuring accountability, advising on reform, and addressing other matters materially affecting the Historic Diaspora community.
2. Establish a permanent Historic Diaspora representation mechanism within government structures.
There should be formal, transparent, accountable, constituency-mandated representation for the Historic Diaspora in matters that directly affect the community. Such representatives must be selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed by an external body, and they must remain accountable to the people they represent.
3. Include qualified Historic Diasporans within Diaspora Affairs and other relevant state institutions.
Policies affecting Historic Diasporans should not be developed without meaningful lived-experience input from Historic Diasporans themselves. Inclusion in decision-making offices is necessary for credibility, fairness, and informed policy design.
4. Immediately review and suspend the newly imposed GH¢25,000 citizenship fee for Historic Diasporans.
Where citizenship is being pursued as part of reparative justice and historical restoration, the process must not be monetized at a level that excludes large numbers of the very people Ghana claims to welcome. Given that there was initially no citizenship fee, the present fee should be suspended pending review and replaced with a fair, accessible, and restorative framework.
5. Create a family-inclusive pathway to citizenship and settlement.
The process should allow spouses, children, and households to proceed together and should not divide families through cost, timing, or procedural design. Historic Diasporans seeking to settle in Ghana should be able to pursue citizenship through a framework that supports long-term family stability and belonging.
6. Integrate the history and impact of Enslavement and the Historic Diaspora into the Ghana Education Service curriculum.
Ghana’s educational system should teach the history of forced displacement, diaspora formation, and the enduring relationship between the continent and the Historic Diaspora so that future generations understand both the historical rupture and the shared responsibility of repair.
7. Establish a permanent, published, year-round Historic Diaspora citizenship pathway.
Citizenship should not depend on surprise announcements, ceremonial deadlines, or narrow event-driven windows. Ghana should publish a stable and continuous process with clear requirements, timelines, review stages, contact points, and processing expectations.
8. Require a mandatory minimum notice period of at least 90 days for any major changes in fees, requirements, vetting dates, supporting documents, or procedural deadlines.
No applicant should be given only a few days to secure large sums of money, police clearances, criminal record certificates, international documentation, laboratory testing, travel arrangements, and related materials.
9. Permanently remove DNA as a blanket or default requirement for Historic Diasporans.
Where lineage was violently ruptured by enslavement, forced displacement, colonial record destruction, and deliberate historical fragmentation, Ghana must not rely on narrow biological proof as the gatekeeper of belonging. Alternative forms of evidence should be accepted, including historical, genealogical, documentary, communal, cultural, and testimonial evidence.
10. Reform police-clearance and criminal-record requirements so they are not used as blunt instruments of exclusion.
Any review of background issues should be individualized, transparent, proportionate, and guided by fairness, rehabilitation, and due process rather than blanket exclusion.
11. Establish a coordinated support framework in which repatriation services take the operational lead, with government providing recognition, policy backing, and institutional coordination.
Given current limitations in government capacity, budget, staffing, and expertise, repatriation services should take the lead in practical support relating to citizenship, relocation, settlement, land, business, and related matters. The Government of Ghana should provide formal coordination, recognition, standards, and support so that these services can function effectively, ethically, and accountably. This framework should provide case management support, clear referral channels, problem-escalation mechanisms, and regular policy feedback loops.
12. Publish a clear appeals and review process.
Applicants should receive written reasons for denials, deferrals, requests for further information, or exclusion from a given cohort, together with a fair and accessible mechanism for appeal, review, or reconsideration.
13. Ensure multilingual and inclusive access for the full Historic Diaspora.
The process must not operate as though only English-speaking Diasporans matter. Outreach, guidance, and support should deliberately include applicants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Francophone communities, Lusophone communities, and other underrepresented spaces.
14. Develop verified systems and safeguards for Historic Diaspora investment, relocation, and settlement by leaning on Historic Diasporan experts.
The Government of Ghana should develop policies, verified guidance, vetted channels, and protective mechanisms to reduce fraud, land disputes, exploitation, and misinformation. In doing so, it should intentionally lean on Historic Diasporan experts with direct knowledge and proven experience in repatriation, relocation, settlement, land, business, and community integration. Historic Diasporans should be able to invest and settle with confidence and protection under law.
15. Encourage and support Historic Diaspora participation in key sectors of national development.
A fair inclusion framework should facilitate meaningful participation in tourism, agriculture, education, technology, housing, entrepreneurship, and other sectors where Historic Diasporans are prepared to contribute to Ghana’s future.
16. Convene a formal national Town Hall or public forum between the Government of Ghana and Historic Diaspora stakeholders within 30 days of receipt of this petition.
This meeting should focus on concrete policy reform, implementation, and accountability, not symbolism alone. Recognized Historic Diaspora participants in such engagement should be selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed by an external body.
17. Establish a multi-stakeholder working group to guide reform and implementation.
This group should include relevant ministries, the Office of Diaspora Affairs, and recognized Historic Diaspora stakeholders selected or elected by Historic Diasporans themselves rather than appointed by an external body, together with other necessary institutions. It should have a clear mandate, timeline, and reporting responsibility.
18. Promote Pan-African education and public engagement that move beyond symbolism to substantive inclusion.
National inclusion must be cultural and educational as well as administrative. While symbolic gestures and language, including references such as a “17th region,” may have rhetorical value, they are not enough. Ghana must move beyond symbolism toward substantive structural change, including representation, access, policy reform, institutional support, and material inclusion for Historic Diasporans.
We further request the following immediate actions:
Formal acknowledgment of this petition upon receipt.
Immediate review of the 2026 citizenship process and related Diaspora policies.
A written public response within 30 days stating what reforms will be undertaken, on what timeline, and through which institutions.
Ongoing structured collaboration with Historic Diaspora stakeholders as these reforms are developed and implemented.
Why this matters
The Historic Diaspora is ready to repatriate, invest, build, and contribute to Ghana’s future. But a reparative and Pan-African vision must be reflected in practice. A system grounded in justice should not be prohibitively expensive, poorly communicated, administratively opaque, or structured without the meaningful participation of those it affects.
We are not asking to be included from the margins. We are calling for a structured, fair, and representative system that reflects Ghana’s own stated ideals, strengthens its global leadership, and makes citizenship, belonging, and national inclusion real in practice.
We therefore call on Your Excellency to lead this reform personally, publicly, and decisively.
Respectfully submitted,
The Black Agenda
Shannan Akosua Magee (President of the African American Association of Ghana)
Kevoy Burton (President of the Ghana Caribbean Association)
Decade of Our Repatriation (D.O.O.R.)
Rastafari Council of Ghana
Jamaica Affairs
Abibitumi
Ambassador Millie Tucker
Repatriate to Ghana
Ministry of the Future
Real Repatriation Consultant
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Foundation (MMGF)
Would you like your organization to stand publicly with this petition? To have your organization’s name added as a represented supporter, please email theblackagendagh@gmail.com.
37
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on April 16, 2026