The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi has said Africans in the diaspora have shown keen interest in returning to Ghana.

She made this known at the unveiling ceremony of the 7 Pillars of Beyond the Return Wednesday, September 9, 2020.

According to her, the outbreak of Coronavirus has had a significant consequence on economies. However, she takes solace in the fact that economies are gradually getting back on track and the desire to travel to Ghana keeps rising.

“In terms of tourism and hospitality industry, the UNWTO reports that the potential impact shows that this year, we will be recording eight hundred and fifty million to 1.1 billion fewer tourist international tourist arrivals. About nine hundred and ten billion dollars to 1.2 trillion dollars loss in export revenues from tourism and about a 100 to 120 trillion direct tourism jobs being at risk. Despite all these, our global African family continuous to express their desire to come home to Africa and particularly to Ghana,” the Tourism Minister said.

As the Beyond the Return seeks to build on the competitive urge in attracting and building a mutual relationship with the African diaspora community, she indicated that: “We are ready to welcome you and to provide the most positive experience as you make the decision to connect with Ghana through travel, investments, community services, business collaborations and repatriation”.

The Minister further noted that the Beyond the Return move is to allow for the cross-fertilisation of ideas, implement strategies that will make Ghana more attractive as the destination for tourism, trade and investment on the African continent.

“Ghana today has become more attractive than never before to tourist and investment for the diaspora community and all over the world. They have embraced what we have done with the Year of Return,” Madam Oteng-Gyasi remarked.

The newly launched Beyond the Return will span for 10 years under the theme “Decade of renaissance, the very premise of the initiative is to create a mutually beneficial corporation with the African diaspora community”.

Due to the duration, government is developing a homeland return legislation for African diasporas to facilitate various forms of migration and integration into the county.