An Assessment Of Ghana’s Engagements With Its Diaspora Under The Fourth Republic

Abstract

ABSTRACT The discourse on linkages between migration and development is receiving a lot of scholarly attention. With the increasing interest in the discourse of the diasporas of Africa as a great potential contributor to Africa’s development, it has become imperative for research to be conducted on the new methods and policies that African states have implemented to tap into this developmental potential. In view of the foregoing, this study seeks to investigate the strategies Ghana has adopted to engage its diaspora under its Fourth Republic. Within the framework of transnationalism, the study adopts a qualitative research approach aimed at exploring the state led engagement initiatives undertaken during this period. It identifies the successes and challenges that have been associated with their implementation and whether or not these programmes have culminated into gains for Ghana’s political and socio-economic development. The policies are also critically examined to determine whether or not they have been undertaken on the long term being continued by successive governments. Relying on primary sources of data obtained by interviewing experts on the topic, as well as secondary sources comprising books and journal articles, the study found that most of the programmes were not long term not because successive governments failed to continue them; rather these were not designed to be long term and some lacked proper coordination. The study thus concluded that Ghana’s engagement with its diaspora has been conducted in an ad hoc manner mainly due to a lack of a comprehensive national engagement policy. The study thus emphasized the need to launch the national engagement policy and also extend more rights to its diasporians amidst other pragmatic ways of integrating them into the homeland.