Ghana halts Diaspora citizenship program for revamp, applicants anxious
Ghana has temporarily suspended applications for its “Right of Abode” citizenship program, impacting members of the global African diaspora seeking to reconnect with their ancestral homeland. The pause, announced to overhaul the system for greater accessibility, follows complaints about a costly and complex process.
Introduced in 2016, the pathway allows those proving African ancestry primarily descendants of victims of the transatlantic slave trade to gain citizenship.
While over 1,000 people have acquired it, including notable figures, applicants cited prohibitive challenges.
Key hurdles include a $2,280 fee for shortlisted candidates and a stringent one-week deadline to provide DNA evidence, a requirement criticized as unrealistic and unreliable by advocates like Dr. Erieka Bennet of the Diaspora African Forum.
The suspension has caused uncertainty among those planning relocations or investments in sectors like real estate and tech, who seek citizenship for property rights and full civic participation.
Rooted in the Pan-African vision of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, the program was revitalized in 2019 with the “Year of Return” campaign. The government states updated guidelines will be issued “in due course.”
