The Year of Return 2019: A Success? Failure?
by Vennisa Owusu-Barfi
The Year of Return stands as an historic realization of the African Diasporan dream: restoring and connecting to a lost heritage. It was an economic, social, and cultural initiative by the Government of Ghana to encourage the African diaspora to return and invest in the Ghanaian economy. Occurring exactly 400 years since the first slave ships touched down in Virginia in August 16191, it proved to be a symbol of reconciliation; history coming full circle.
Source: visitghana.com
However, how successful was it and can it be implemented on a continental scale?
In terms of numbers, the Year of Return was an overwhelming success. The Ghana Tourism Agency reported an end of year revenue of $1.9 billion from the approximately 760,000 visitors arriving in the country.2 When considering the $3.5 million PR bill needed to incentivize individuals to visit or even permanently move (129 granted citizenship), the government of Ghana profited immensely from this initiative.3
Members of the African Diaspora granted Ghanaian citizenship
Source: cnn.com
Looking beyond numbers towards sustainability...
Nevertheless, we need to take a step back to evaluate its sustainability on a long-term scale. As Bright Simons of Quartz Magazine highlighted in 2019, this is not the first time the Ghanaian government has developed an initiative like this. He begins by doubting the end of year statistics provided by the Ghana Tourism Agency as inflated and proceeds to focus on the lack of long-term sustainability of similar projects in the past.
He writes that “sounding the alarm...is to motivate the authorities to see their successful marketing strategies as a foundation on which to construct a truly effective sales plan for Ghana’s tourism and climate potential.”4 From the Akwaaba Anyemi initiative in 2006 to the 2008 African Cup of Nations Tournament in Ghana5, the Ghanaian government has failed to sustain projects like these beyond a few years.
A 2006 poster for the Akwaaba Anyemi Initiative
Source: New African Magazine
What can we learn from this? Any tips for other countries hoping to implement this?
The Year of Return provides a unique opportunity for the African Diaspora to reconnect with their roots and heritage, as well as provide an avenue for African countries to develop their economies through tourism and foreign investment. However, to replicate this across the continent, we need to put measures in place to sustain this initiative for posterity.
Sources:
McCartney, Contributor: Martha. “Africans, Virginia's First.” Encyclopedia Virginia, https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/africans-virginias-first/.
“Beyond the Year of Return: Africa and the Diaspora Must Forge Closer Ties | Africa Renewal.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/september-2020/beyond-year-return-africa-and-diaspora-must-forge-closer-ties.
“Beyond the Year of Return: Africa and the Diaspora Must Forge Closer Ties | Africa Renewal.” United Nations, United Nations, https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/september-2020/beyond-year-return-africa-and-diaspora-must-forge-closer-ties.
Simons, Bright. “Ghana'a Year of Return Is on Its Way to Success so the Government Should Stop Using Bad Data.” Quartz, Quartz, https://qz.com/africa/1772851/ghanas-year-of-return-should-avoid-bad-govt-data/.
Simons, Bright. “Ghana'a Year of Return Is on Its Way to Success so the Government Should Stop Using Bad Data.” Quartz, Quartz, https://qz.com/africa/1772851/ghanas-year-of-return-should-avoid-bad-govt-data/.