The need for Ghana to strengthen its engagement with Africans in the diaspora and create practical arrangements to support their return and settlement has been emphasised at a dialogue in Accra.

The dialogue brought together government representatives, traditional authorities, academics and members of the African diaspora to explore practical ways of strengthening the relationship between Ghana and its global diaspora.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr James Gyakye Quayson, said the diaspora remained an important partner in national development through investment, innovation, skills transfer, philanthropy and international advocacy.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening diaspora engagement and creating practical pathways for return, reintegration, citizenship and economic participation.

Mr Quayson was speaking at the inaugural Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues held at the Cedi Conference Centre of the University of Ghana, Legon, on Friday, October 30, 2026.

The dialogue was held on the theme: ‘Come Home. Stay Home. Build Home.’

The Acting Executive Director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Dr Collins Rawlings Nyunyonyame, who represented the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, said Ghana’s invitation to Africans abroad to return home must be supported with accessible information, effective institutions and opportunities for long-term settlement.

He emphasised that efforts to direct the individual to the appropriate government institutions proved unsuccessful, with the prospective returnee later reporting that he had been unable to obtain the necessary information.

According to him, the experience highlighted the difficulties confronting people seeking to establish permanent roots in Ghana.

He called for stronger coordination among the Office of Diaspora Affairs, Ghana Immigration Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant institutions to provide clear information on citizenship, residency, business establishment and settlement procedures.

Dr Nyunyonyame also proposed the establishment of a structured diaspora opportunity platform to connect prospective returnees to credible investment opportunities, housing information, business registration, professional partnerships and skills-transfer programmes.

For his part, the Chairman of the Open D.O.O.R. Dialogues Committee, Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé Bakari Kambon, mentioned that the initiative represented a shift from the tourism-focused Year of Return to the Decade of Our Repatriation, covering 2026 to 2036.

He said tourism was only the first step towards permanent settlement, adding that Ghana needed practical arrangements to address citizenship, land, housing, employment and community integration.

By Eugene Ampiaw

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Having gone through a myriad of challenges, moments to cheer about and the dying inclination to aspire for greater heights, the Accra College of Medicine (ACM) has every reason to pause and look at its journey for the past decade.

The university’s 10th anniversary symposium was held recently under the theme: ‘A decade of excellence in medical education. Celebrating a legacy, shaping the future.’

The President of (ACM), Prof. Afua Adwo Jectey Hesse, said, “God has a purpose for the establishment of the university, and this really gives me joy.”

Commenting on the reason behind the establishment of the university during a panel discussion, Prof. Afua A.J. Hesse stated that the idea was born out of a concern raised by his son who observed that, “Though there are many qualified students who can read medicine in Ghana, the existing institutions cannot accommodate all of them. So why can’t we start a medical school to cater for this growing number of students”?

Prof. Hesse said it was incredible that the university was 10 years old and advised the students to always do what was essential in their practice. She assured them that there was a future for them, provided they took their studies seriously.

She said though there were a few collections at the beginning, the university could now boast of over 25, 000 documents.
Prof. Afua A.J. Hesse underlined that at the time of her medical practice, the practitioners had no luxury of numbers. One was compelled to cater for one’s family and equally discharged her duties as a doctor.

She said ACM was committed to training students to pursue excellence and to make a difference in the lives of others with compassion, empathy, joy, love, passion, and enthusiasm.

Dr Eli Atikpui, the Director of Institutional Advancement, Standards and External Relations, who was one of the panel members, described the decision by Prof. Rev. Frederick Adukwei Hesse, a co-founder of ACM, and his wife as a bold step in establishing the university.

He said being the first private medical institution, the Medical and Dental Council had to establish a check list which comprised a detailed questionnaire for the founders of the university to respond to, and was happy they provided the required answers.

Dr Atikpui noted that though the number of Ghanaian doctors had increased, a large percentage of them were stationed in Accra while another percentage was also stationed in Kumasi.

Prof. Alfred E. Yawson, a Consultant Public Health Physician, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, another member of the panel, indicated that the couple were his lectures at the University of Ghana Medical School, and he was not surprised about the feat they had chalked over the period.

By Raymond Kyekye
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