Ghana’s story is incomplete without the diaspora – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama says Ghana cannot fully understand its past or shape its future without deliberately integrating the history and experiences of the African diaspora.

Delivering a keynote address at the Diaspora Summit 2025 in Accra on Friday, President Mahama questioned dominant historical narratives that frame Ghana’s story around colonial milestones while excluding the fate of millions of Africans dispersed through slavery.

He highlighted the shared heritage between Ghanaians in the diaspora and their compatriots here at home, noting that they shared history.

“Our brothers and sisters from our 17th region, the African diaspora. I say a very warm welcome to you. Welcome home. This is your home.

“The reason I believe it is important that we begin to consciously carry the story of the diaspora as part and parcel of Ghana’s story, is because what divides us ultimately, what denies us the ability to be whole, is that division. And that’s precisely why it’s the perfect way to conquer,” the president said at the Accra International Conference Centre.

The President argued that telling Ghana’s history from the formation of the Gold Coast colony distorts reality. “That’s inaccurate, because the collective story of our people predates the existence of any colony on this African continent,” he said, stressing that Ghana’s many ethnic groups existed long before colonial rule.

Reflecting on the transatlantic slave trade, President Mahama described the Atlantic Ocean as a burial ground for African ancestors. “Between the 16th and 19th centuries, nearly 13 million African men, women, and children were captured,” he said, noting that millions died during the Middle Passage. “The Gulf of Guinea and the waters of the Atlantic beyond it became a graveyard of our ancestors.”

He pointed to Ghana’s coastline, which hosts more slave forts and castles than any other African country, as central to that shared history. “What followed for each and every one of those individuals is as much a part of Ghana’s story as what followed for those of us who remained here,” he stated.

President Mahama also highlighted how colonial borders and policies fractured African unity and identity. “We have been divided with artificial borders of colonialism that split ethnic homelands right down the middle,” he said, adding that imposed stereotypes and colorism continue to affect African societies and communities in the diaspora.

Citing the power of narrative, the President referenced author Yaa Gyasi’s assertion that “the one who has power is the one who gets to write the story,” urging Africans to reclaim ownership of their historical accounts.

“By finding and owning the stories of our past that were suppressed, we gain the power to write ourselves truthfully and respectfully into the future,” he said.

President Mahama described the Diaspora Summit as a turning point. “This is why we are gathered here today, to begin the process of reclamation in earnest,” he said, welcoming members of the diaspora as an inseparable part of Ghana’s identity. “This is your home. Welcome home.”

The summit was attended by the President of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé; Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa; Deputy Foreign Minister James Gyakye Quayson, traditional leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, senior government officials, and several Ghanaians from the diaspora.