Ghana Unveils 7 Pillars For Beyond The Return: Here Is What It Means For The Diaspora

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Today, Ghana unveiled the 7 pillars of its Beyond The Return initiative at an event at the National Theatre that was streamed online.

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Being heavily invested in the Ghana/Diaspora space, I watched the program via the Beyond The Return’s Facebook page. The event seamlessly incorporated storytelling through theatre, dance, and documentary with official remarks reflecting on Ghana’s successful Year of Return and in furtherance of its decade long Beyond The Return initiative.

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Beyond The Return is a 10-year initiative of the government of Ghana promote tourism and homecoming of Africans and Ghanaians in the Diaspora and to foster economic relations and investments from the Diaspora in Africa and Ghana.

Watch Ghana’s Minister of Tourism talk about Beyond The Return below:

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7 Pillars of Beyond The Return

The 7 pillars of the Beyond The Return initiative create specific avenues or focus areas for strategic engagement with the African Diaspora.

Here are the 7 pillars that were unveiled at the event as they are listed and explained on the country’s Beyond The Return website:

  1. Experience Ghana

    EXPERIENCE THE CULTURE, WARMTH, AND RHYTHM

    The core of the project is the tourism drive and the invitation to the Global African family to visit and experience Ghana. Underpinning this core will be the introduction of Sankofa and healing journeys and the promotion of December in Ghana as a must-do for the Ghanaian and African Diaspora

  2. INVEST IN GHANA

    DIVERSE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

    Ghana, the fastest growing economy in the world in 2019 is an established business destination for investors with progressive government transparent regulations and a dynamic private sector ready for partnerships.

    This pillar will create special investment programs and ease of doing business for the diaspora. Key activities will be the Diaspora Investment programs, Sankofa Savings accounts, and Diaspora's housing schemes.

  3. DIASPORA PATHWAYS TO GHANA

    EASING YOUR TRAVEL EXPERIENCE

    This pillar will see to the adoption of legal and policy frameworks on visa acquisition (e-visa) and the institution of a diaspora visa. It will facilitate key diaspora pathway programs such as Citizenship programs, Educational and work exchanges, Residence, and work permits.

  4. CELEBRATE GHANA

    DIVERSE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

    Create a sense of national consciousness anchored on key cultural festivals, media programs, adoption of contemporary festivals unto the national calendar, and promotion of domestic tourism

  5. Brand Ghana

    YOUR REAL HOME

    Promote Ghana as a leading tourism destination and a hub for the African renaissance. Craft a new narrative on Ghana and strategically promote to the world.

  6. GIVE BACK TO GHANA

    SUPPORT GHANA

    Foster a new sense of community service and giving that will create ongoing legacies for the project. Service areas will include tree planting, community clean-ups, adoption of certain community impact projects

  7. PROMOTE PAN AFRICAN HERITAGE & INNOVATION

    ROOTS TOURISM

    This pillar will focus on promoting Pan-African and Ghanaian heritage and developing pilgrimage infrastructure around sites of memory.  Development tourism infrastructure for target sites beyond the highly frequented sites of Cape Coast and Elmina Dungeons such as the Salaga Slave market in the Northern Region, Pikworo Slave camp in the Upper East Region Assin Praso in the Central Region, all of which are essential parts of the history of slavery in Ghana.

So what does this mean for the African Diaspora?

COLLABORATION, COLLABORATION, COLLABORATION & MORE IMPORTANTLY, SUPPORT

The unveiling of these 7 pillars means it is an opportune time to launch/invest in/ plan to move to Ghana if you are a member of the African Diaspora. Given the success of the Year of Return Initiatives and the economic and socio-political capital and of the African Diaspora, especially that of the African American community, the African Diaspora community yields strong influence in Ghana’s tourism policies and engagements.

Simply stated, there are open and willing ears for the African Diaspora, and perhaps more support now than later as the initiative grows old. Reach out to the associated offices if and when you need help with your Ghana/Africa moves and investments.

Reach out for government collaboration and support as well. There are many offices and platforms through which to collaborate, such as the Diaspora Investment Desk.

I also heard mention of a Homeland Act by the Minister of Tourism. This Act will streamline a repatriation process for Africans in the Diaspora. I will share more details on this as soon as I know more. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter if you would like to stay abreast of this.

Finally, please research and plan before you make any moves. Having moved between Ghana and NYC for the last 5 years, I know very well the challenges and opportunities present. My free ebook is a great guide for those looking to get started or who simply want to know more. I also have many insightful resources for Moving & Investing in Ghana here.

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This is what I wish I knew moving to Ghana, tips and advice

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Over the last few years, I have had a number of people reach out to me to share their plans for moving to Ghana. They are often curious about my process and often ask a few similar questions: when to move, how to find a job, and how to build social and professional networks. Here is a post on my decision journey to move to Ghana at 25 years old and here is another post on finding jobs and finding and building professional networks. Below, I give broad tips and general advice I wish I knew before I embarked on the journey.

While some of these points may seem minuscule on paper, they are the difference between having a smooth vs. rocky transition once on the group.

  1. Be intentional about what you need from the move, financially: This will largely dictate how you spend your time, especially at the onset - will you jump immediately into work, spend time exploring the country, doing volunteer work, etc. I was very clear with myself when I first moved that I wanted to learn and explore the business climate in Ghana. I was not concerned about making money. As such, I spent my first 3 years open to exploring new industries and skills, changing jobs often, consulting on numerous projects, doing volunteer work. As such, I largely lived on my savings. In year 4, my financial intentions shifted and as such, so did my focus and work.

  2. Be prepared to spend more than you expect: Many people from the UK/US believe that the exchange rate favors them so they will be okay with the some smaller degree if funds. Accra, Ghana is as expensive as living in New York City and more so than outside of Africa, there are many expenses and fees that are commonplace in the Ghanaian system that you won’t find elsewhere. Having to pay a cedis for someone to help you figure out something here and there quickly adds up.

  3. Having a car helps: with bummer-to-bummer traffic, bad roads, and limited public transportation options, having a car makes navigating Accra easier and more effective, if one knows how to drive and can manage the aggressive driving culture here. Else, you either spend a lot of money on Ubers/taxis or a lot of time/sweat on ‘trotros’. I too think about the issues of car congestion in Accra, climate change, and my carbon footprint but there seems to be no way around being efficient and cost effective without a car in this country.

  4. If you are looking for a job: it is probably best to begin the search and application process while abroad. I have a post that delves deeper into job hunting here.

  5. Finding a place to stay: for the most part, renters have to pay their 2-year return upfront when they sign a lease. While renting in Ghana can be less expensive than in the West, the long term lease commitment can be daunting and financially draining. Having a family home to stay at can make adjusting much smoother. I have only lived in family homes since moving and it has saved me a lot of money.

  6. Get involved in activities: at some level, the things you enjoy abroad are also available to you here and are relatively cheaper than what you paid for abroad. For example, if you enjoy yoga, fitness, traveling, swimming, dancing, singing, church, etc, you can do that here. There are a numerous providers for these services as well. Do a search on IG or Facebook or join any of the numerous local WhatsApp platforms to get information on where to look for things and what’s happening in the ecosystem.

  7. Find your people/tribe: network/ relationships, in general, are the power source on which Accra moves. On the technical side, things (such as getting a government ID, etc) will be expensive and time-consuming if you don’t know someone. Everyone knows someone. On the emotional and psychological side, finding your tribe helps in helping you acclimate. The close and early friends I made when I first moved to Ghana were people at my gym. You can find your people everywhere as long as you are friendly and open.

  8. Get help with paperwork, early: you will need some sort of government ID to open bank accounts, register your business, etc. Are you a Ghanaian citizen by birth but don’t have a passport or national id? Make arrangements to sort that out sooner than later as that will afford you access and local price points that you will not have using your foreign passport/identity.

  9. Think about essential life services: how will you work around things such as health care/health insurance? How will you navigate around this if your job does not provide health insurance? Do you have a dentist, doctor, plumber, cleaner, dispatcher, painter, or police officer’s number available? Do you have emergency contacts or nanny’s if you have children? Waiting till you need a specific profession before you acquire their number is not safe, especially in Ghana where there are few professionals for the population size.

  10. Come mentally prepared: Ghana can be difficult to acclimate to, work with, and grow within. The best thing I did in my move was to stay teachable, open, and humble to many different people and circumstances. This has endeared others to me and me to them, while providing me with opportunities I never could have dreamed about.