Reaping the benefits of Beyond the Return

Ghana has always been a destination for Africans, particularly for those in the Diaspora. This has largely remained so, especially for those who trace their ancestry to slaves who were taken from Africa to the Americas during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

Ghana is considered a sacred place for many people of African descent because an estimated 75 per cent of the slave dungeons on the west coast of Africa were in Ghana, from where millions of Africans were transported in ships during the era of the slave trade.

When President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the ‘Year of Return’ (YOR) initiative in September 2018 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival, in 1619, of the first 20 slaves from West Africa to the Commonwealth of Virginia, which later became part of the United States of America (USA), the urge to visit Ghana became a priority for many in the Diasporan community.

The YOR was meant to bring together Africans, people of African descent and all well-wishers and lovers of freedom to strengthen the collective commitment to ensure that the blots in Africa’s history, such as slavery, would never reoccur.

It was also to provide the platform for strengthening the ties of solidarity among all people of African descent.

We would like to commend the government, particularly President Akufo-Addo, for the relentless efforts that made the initiative such a massive success.

To bring the idea into fruition, and for it to gain such global attention, the government embarked on an audacious working strategy that positioned Ghana firmly on the global map and led to a surge in tourist arrivals in the country.

It is interesting to note that due to the savvy and attractive marketing drive, the global media, including the Cable News Network (CNN), listed Ghana as one of the top destinations to visit in 2019.

As a result of the YOR initiative, Ghana became the go-to country, with thousands of people, including many famous ones, trooping into the country.

There were visits by the US Congressional Black Caucus, led by the US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi; Bishop T.D. Jakes, an influential African-American preacher and motivational speaker; Kofi Kingston, the Ghanaian world wrestling champion; A.J. Johnson, an American actress; Steve Harvey, the American talk-show host, and many others.

The large influx of people, with its positive trickle-down effect on the economy and development, cannot be underestimated.

The Daily Graphic notes with satisfaction the launch of the ‘Beyond the Return’ initiative, a sequel to the YOR, which is meant to ensure that the campaign is sustained and enhanced.

The “Beyond the Return” campaign, according to the government, was expected to go deeper by engaging those in the Diaspora and also enhancing investment opportunities.

Last Friday, the Ministry of Finance created an investment mechanism to help drive investment into the country from the Diaspora.

It is known as the “Africa Sankofa Account” or the “Diaspora Savings and Investment Account” and we hope the ministry, in collaboration with other universal banks, will work to market the product to attract the needed investment from the Diasporan community and beyond into the country.

This, we trust, will go a long way to make Ghana not only a tourist destination but also a good investment destination for those in the global community.

Notwithstanding these laudable initiatives, the Daily Graphic calls on the government to invest more resources in the development of Ghana’s tourist infrastructure to enable the country to enjoy maximum benefit from the YOR and the ‘Beyond the Return’ initiatives.

Many of the country’s tourist sites, including the beaches, are in very deplorable states and urgently need the necessary facelift.

Tourism has become a serious global business that drives accelerated development and we are of the view that, as a priority, the government must quickly develop domestic tourism to make it more attractive for residents of Ghana to visit our tourist sites in addition to giving people outside the country the opportunity to enjoy such experiences.