The maiden Diaspora Summit opened in Accra on Friday, marking a historic step in reconnecting people of African descent around the world with the continent through a renewed agenda for development and unity. The gathering seeks to provide a collaborative platform to reimagine Africa’s global partnerships and to advance discussions on restorative justice, cultural reclamation, and economic cooperation.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, addressing delegates at the opening session, underscored that the moment had come for Africa to reassert its agency in shaping its own narrative and future. He called on Africans and people of African heritage across the world to join in what he termed “the reclamation process,” which involves confronting the enduring legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, colonialism, and the systematic extraction of African cultural and material heritage.
“The time is right for Africa to unite and initiate the reclamation process. We must demand reparations for the wrongs done to us through slavery, colonialism, and the theft of our artefacts,” President Mahama stated. “Let us consciously make the story of the diaspora an integral part of Ghana’s narrative. What divides us denies our ability to feel at home,” he added.
Mahama further highlighted that Africa’s artificial colonial boundaries had fractured ethnic and cultural bonds, perpetuating divisions that continue to challenge continental solidarity. He urged that Africans should now be more intentional about their unity than the architects of their division once were.
The two-day summit, held under the theme “Resetting Ghana: The Diaspora as the 17th Region,” has drawn representatives from across the continent and the global African diaspora. It seeks to create a framework for deeper engagement between Africa and its diaspora communities, aligning with the African Union’s long-standing recognition of the diaspora as Africa’s “sixth region.”
The President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, noted that Africa’s aspirations for financial, cultural, and digital sovereignty could not be achieved without the active participation of its diaspora. He urged Africans globally to reclaim ownership of their narratives, rewrite history through an African lens, and preserve Africa’s traditions of resilience, resistance, and renewal.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the African Union’s High Representative for Silencing the Guns, commended Ghana for convening what he described as a “critical building block in a broader continental and global process.” Speaking on behalf of the AU, he noted that the focus on historical truth, healing, economic justice, and innovation at the Accra summit resonates with the AU’s broader vision of “transformative rather than transactional reparations.”
The summit represents a continuation of Ghana’s efforts to strengthen ties with the African diaspora following landmark initiatives such as the Year of Return in 2019 and Beyond the Return, which have positioned the country as a key bridge between continental Africa and its global descendants.
Scholars and policy analysts view this initiative as part of a growing continental movement toward reasserting Africa’s global voice on matters of historical justice, identity, and sustainable development. By embedding diasporic engagement within Africa’s policy and developmental frameworks, the summit contributes to reshaping a more inclusive, self-defined, and collaborative African future.
