We Have Met with the Office of the President and Foreign Affairs. Only 105 Signatures to 2,500.
To the Founding 2,350 and everyone who has joined since:
Thank you.
As of 1 August 2026, the petition has reached 2,395 supporters.
We are now only 105 signatures away from 2,500.
Since our last update, The Black Agenda has met with the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have also submitted the written follow-up requested by Foreign Affairs.
No final policy decision has yet been made, but engagement and follow-up continue.
The first and central demand remains:
Constituency-mandated seats, plural, at the decision-making table.
MEETING WITH THE DIASPORA AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
On 15 July 2026, The Black Agenda met with the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President regarding the petition, citizenship, representation, and the path forward.
We emphasized that the foundational issue is larger than any single fee or administrative requirement.
Without constituency-mandated seats:
Fees can be introduced without us.
DNA requirements can be introduced or reintroduced without us.
Application windows can open and close without us.
Policies can be developed and presented after the major decisions have already been made.
Representation must precede reform.
No decisions about us without us.
The Office confirmed that the petition had entered the appropriate governmental process. We will continue seeking clarity regarding the responsible offices, the process being followed, the expected timeframe, and the path toward engagement with the President, the Minister for the Interior, and other decision-makers.
HOW THE PETITION ORIGINATED
The petition did not arise simply from discussion of the GHS 25,000 citizenship fee.
During an earlier engagement, the broader question was raised:
What does the President think about these concerns?
The response was that the President’s position was not known and that a petition would be an appropriate means of seeking presidential consideration and direction.
The petition therefore became the formal vehicle for placing the wider concerns of the affected constituency before the President.
Those concerns were then documented through town halls, public comments, organizational consultations, and the experiences of people directly affected.
The fee is one concern.
The foundational issue remains accountable seats at the table.
MEETING WITH THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
On 29 July 2026, The Black Agenda met with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
We again placed constituency-mandated seats, plural, first.
An Akan proverb says:
Ti koro nkɔ agyina.
One head does not constitute a council.
We explained that an ambassadorial appointment may serve ceremonial, diplomatic, or goodwill purposes, but it cannot substitute for plural, accountable representation.
We also emphasized the importance of involving Historic Diaspora stakeholders early enough to help shape policy, especially as Ghana reviews its Diaspora Engagement Policy and develops structures connected to reparative justice and the proposed Historic Diaspora 17th Region.
The Ministry requested the names and designations of our representatives and a concise written summary of the concerns and requests presented.
FOLLOW-UP MATERIALS SUBMITTED
On 31 July 2026, The Black Agenda submitted the requested materials.
The summary preserved our first and central concern:
Multiple constituency-mandated seats at the decision-making table for the Historic Diaspora.
It also addressed reparative citizenship, the barriers introduced through the 2026 process, accountable representation, institutional guidance, and appropriate inter-agency engagement.
WHAT CONSTITUENCY-MANDATED SEATS MEAN
By constituency-mandated seats, we mean multiple representatives grounded in identifiable communities and organizations, with transparent mechanisms for:
Consultation
Community feedback
Public reporting
Defined responsibilities
Performance review
Recall or replacement where necessary
No individual or organization, including The Black Agenda, should claim authority over the Historic Diaspora without demonstrating the constituency from which that authority arises and the mechanisms through which accountability is maintained.
Representation must be built into systems, structures, processes, and institutions.
REPARATIVE CITIZENSHIP IN PRINCIPLE AND IN PRACTICE
President John Dramani Mahama stated in 2016:
“I am giving back to you what rightfully belongs to you.”
He also said:
“It’s your right. You’re Ghanaians.”
Citizenship for the Historic Diaspora must be treated as restoration, not charity.
Repatriation must be treated as repair, not revenue.
The 2026 process introduced serious barriers, including the GHS 25,000 non-refundable citizenship fee, DNA-related requirements, extensive documentation, limited notice, a narrow application window, and no clearly communicated appeals or review process.
These concerns all return to the foundational issue:
The people directly affected did not have constituency-mandated seats at the table.
THE PETITION IS ALSO REACHING THE MEDIA
The petition and its reparative citizenship framework were also discussed during Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé Bakari Kambon’s interview on Asaase Townhall Talk.
The interview emphasized that Ghana’s international advocacy for reparatory justice must be reflected in its domestic treatment of the Historic Diaspora. It addressed the distinction between reparative citizenship and extractive citizenship, barriers within the current citizenship process, and the need for Historic Diaspora representation in decisions that directly affect us.
Read and share the Asaase Radio report:
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
We will continue following up with the:
Diaspora Affairs Office of the President
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of the Interior
Office of the President
Other relevant institutions
We will report confirmed developments without overstating what has or has not been achieved.
The petition remains open.
Every additional signature strengthens the final submission.
Every comment adds another public voice.
Every organization standing publicly with the petition expands the constituency behind the demand.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
We are only 105 signatures away from 2,500.
Please:
Sign
Comment
Share
Send the petition to at least three people
Ask your organization to stand publicly with it
https://www.change.org/ghanacitizenship
COPY AND SHARE
“The Black Agenda Reparative Citizenship Petition has reached 2,395 supporters and is only 105 signatures away from 2,500. Since the last update, The Black Agenda has met with the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, submitted the requested written follow-up, and continued raising the issue through the media. The first and central demand remains constituency-mandated seats, plural, at the decision-making table. Sign, comment, and share: https://www.change.org/ghanacitizenship
MEDIA AND ORGANIZATIONAL INQUIRIES
theblackagendagh@gmail.com
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The Founding 2,350 have spoken.
Only 105 more signatures are needed to reach 2,500.
Seats at the table first.
Restore reparative citizenship in principle and in practice.
Sign. Comment. Share. Organize.