The eagerly anticipated Diaspora Summit 2025, held on December 19th-20th, 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), was a resounding success. Organised under the auspices of H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, the Diaspora Affairs Office, Office of the President, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the summit brought together H.E John Dramani Mahama, the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Faure Gnassingbé, the President of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic, government officials, Ghanaians in the diaspora, development partners, private sector leaders, and key stakeholders.
A Platform for Sustainable Networks and Collaboration
The two-day event, themed “Resetting Ghana: The Diaspora as the 17th Region,” provided participants with a unique opportunity to create sustainable networks, share experiences, and contribute constructively to deliberations that will shape and enhance the future of Ghana’s diaspora engagements. The summit was a testament to Ghana’s commitment to advancing reparatory justice and strengthening ties with its diaspora.
Quest for Reparations and Unity
The first day of the Summit focused on the quest for reparations, drawing on the African Union’s commitment to collective action, Afro-Caribbean solidarity, and the moral imperative to repair the profound harm caused by centuries of exploitation and erasure.
President John Mahama in his opening address emphasised the importance of Pan-African unity and the need for reparations for historical injustices, including the transatlantic slave trade. He announced plans to move a motion at the United Nations to recognise the slave trade as Crime Against Humanity and called on all Africans and the diaspora to support the motion. The President stressed that reparations must include tangible measures such as debt cancellation, monetary compensation, and the return of stolen artefacts. He urged all Africans and the diaspora to speak out against past injustices and demand accountability, emphasising that to forget about this heinous crime, was not an option in the pursuit of justice and progress.
Participants engaged in thought-provoking discussions on the need for acknowledgment, redress, reconciliation, psychological healing, cultural revitalisation, and the restoration of African agency in shaping our global destiny.
Transformative Vision for the Diaspora
The Summit on its second and final day, explored the transformative vision of recognising the diaspora as Ghana’s ‘17th Region’, a formal extension of the nation’s social, economic, and cultural architecture. With millions of Ghanaians and people of African descent living across the world and contributing significantly to development through knowledge exchange, investment, innovation, creative industries, and community leadership, the Summit sought to strengthen sustainable, structured, and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Key issuance
The Summit culminated in the issuance of key recommendations to advance African-diaspora collaboration and reparatory justice. These keys include:
1. Establishing transparent mechanisms to manage reparations
2. Ensuring reparations go beyond money, including debt cancellation, return of artefacts, institutional reform, and economic empowerment
3. Mobilizing Africa’s intellectual capital and civil society
4. Creating structured dialogue between governments and the diaspora
5. Accelerating diaspora investment and foreign direct investment, and
6. Promoting unity and coordinated global action among African states and people of African descent
Leadership and Commitment
Her Excellency Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the Vice President, praised President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership on reparations, stating among others, that it positions Ghana as a moral political leader in the global push to address historical injustices.
Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP), Minister of Foreign Affairs, highlighted that Ghana’s push for reparations is grounded in morality, justice, and international responsibility.
A New Chapter for Ghana and Africa
The Diaspora Summit 2025 underscored Ghana’s leadership in driving reparatory justice while fostering Pan-African solidarity, signaling a clear move from dialogue to action. As Ghana continues to take decisive steps to advance reparatory justice and strengthen ties with the diaspora, the Summit serves as a foundation for a renewed era of unity, shared purpose, and collaborative progress between Ghana, Africa, and the global African family.
The Diaspora Summit 2025 was a resounding success, providing a platform for sustainable networks, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. As Ghana and Africa look to the future, the Summit’s recommendations and outcomes will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping the continent’s development and promoting unity and solidarity among African states and people of African descent.
