The Diaspora Affairs Office of the President (DAOOP) will on Friday, September 18, 2026, host the inaugural Ghana Diaspora Townhall Meeting at the Christiansborg Castle, Osu, Accra.

The meeting, scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. is being held under the theme “Listening Today, Building Tomorrow: Strengthening Ghana’s Partnership with the Diaspora.”

According to a statement from DAOOP issued on September 17, the Townhall will serve as an annual platform for structured dialogue between the Government of Ghana and the Ghanaian and wider African Diaspora.

It is aimed at providing a dedicated platform for members of the Diaspora to share their experiences, concerns, aspirations and recommendations directly with government institutions, while also reviewing progress in implementing Ghana’s Diaspora Engagement Policy.

About 500 participants are expected, including representatives of Diaspora organisations, Ghanaians living abroad and those who have returned, members of the wider African Diaspora resident in Ghana, government institutions, private sector organisations, civil society, academia, traditional authorities and development partners.

The programme will feature nine thematic listening sessions where participants will engage directly with responsible ministries, departments and agencies.

The sessions will cover citizenship, immigration, residency and national identification; property and real estate; tourism, culture and heritage; business registration and investment; employment, skills and knowledge transfer; diaspora engagement, representation and integration; education, academia and youth engagement; infrastructure and public services; and health and safety.

The themes were drawn from a survey circulated among registered participants ahead of the meeting. Proceedings will be chaired by the Chief Director of the Office of the President, Alhaji Dr Abubakari Wayo.

DAOOP said the inaugural meeting is being held in the week of Founder’s Day, marked on Monday, September 21, reflecting Ghana’s Pan-African tradition and its historical relationship with Africans and people of African descent around the world.

The Townhall will close with the presentation and adoption of key recommendations and priority actions for 2026 and 2027, which will inform an institutional action matrix to support continued engagement and follow-up.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

President John Dramani Mahama today chaired a meeting of security chiefs and received a detailed briefing on investigations into the recent trafficking of drugs out of Ghana’s ports.

The President was informed that ten individuals, including four officers of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), are being held while investigations continue.

The meeting reviewed the structure and security systems in place and recommended new actions.

President Mahama has directed that an inter-agency task force be formed to present a detailed roadmap, emanating from today’s meeting, on measures to prevent the trafficking of drugs through Ghana’s borders within two weeks.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme