Ghana has announced that it is suspending citizenship applications from descendants of Africans living abroad, a move analysts say could undermine the country’s efforts to promote itself as a Pan-African hub.
A diaspora community refers to people who have moved away from their ancestral homeland but continue to maintain strong cultural, social or emotional ties to it.
The government in Accra said on Sunday that the suspension would allow authorities to make the citizenship application process “more accessible, efficient and user-friendly”.
Analysts speaking to Agence France-Presse said the pause was likely intended to allow the government to review the cost of applying for citizenship and to consider introducing a requirement for applicants to prove African ancestry.
Ghana has in recent years positioned itself as a leading destination for the African diaspora, which it refers to as the country’s “17th region”, and has rolled out initiatives aimed at attracting descendants of enslaved Africans.
International relations analyst Ishmael Hlovor warned that imposing proof of African ancestry as a condition for citizenship could damage Ghana’s image as a welcoming home for Africans living abroad.
“While reviewing processes is understandable, the new demands on the African diaspora to prove ancestry risk narrowing access to Ghana,” he told AFP. Hlovor added that it would reflect poorly on the West African nation if it abandoned its “very broad” definition of diaspora communities in favour of a more “selective” approach.
However, Erieka Bennet of the Diaspora African Forum, a non-governmental organisation, said she viewed the suspension as a procedural step rather than a policy reversal. “The suspension is basically saying that they are relooking at the process. It does not say it’s not going to happen,” she told AFP.
Ghanaian authorities said processing of citizenship applications would resume “shortly”, though no specific timeline was provided. Ghana began granting citizenship to members of what it describes as the “historical diaspora” in 2016.
Since then, about 1,000 Ghanaian passports have been issued, including to prominent figures such as influential musician Stevie Wonder and US media personality Yandy Smith. Last month, Ghana also granted citizenship to US influencer IShowSpeed following his tour of 20 African countries.
