The Decade of Our Own Return (D.O.O.R.) Initiative has renewed its call on Africans in the diaspora to reconnect with Ghana through investment, permanent settlement and skills transfer, with organisers projecting at least $8 billion in economic activity during the programme's first year.

Speaking at the media launch of the Open Door Dialogue, founder of the D.O.O.R. Initiative, Dr Obenfo Obádélé Kambon, said the 10-year programme seeks to reverse the trend of Ghanaians leaving the country in search of opportunities by attracting members of the African diaspora to relocate, establish businesses and contribute to national development.

He explained that the initiative is designed for people of African descent worldwide, including descendants of those displaced through the trans-Atlantic slave trade and Africans living abroad, encouraging them to invest, transfer skills and create employment opportunities in Ghana.

According to Dr Kambon, the initiative builds on the momentum created by Ghana's Year of Return and Beyond the Return campaigns but shifts the focus from heritage tourism to long-term repatriation, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development.

"As it stands right now, the first year of the Decade of Our Own Return, those in the diaspora—these are Ghanaians doing remittances, those are historic diasporans who have come to live—the baseline number is $8 billion," he said.

"I think we can do a lot in Ghana with $8 billion. Every single sector stands to benefit. That's in terms of agriculture, hospitality, real estate, mining and every single aspect of Ghanaian society can be impacted greatly by what diasporans are doing."

Ghana's Special Envoy to the Caribbean Region, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, also appealed to members of the diaspora to see investing in Ghana as both an opportunity and a responsibility.

"We don't have it all. We are still working hard to make it here in Ghana," he said.

"Many of us who have lived abroad and determined that we want to come back home and work here, I don't call it a sacrifice. I call it a duty and a responsibility."

He said Africans living abroad possess the financial resources, expertise and international networks needed to help accelerate Ghana's development and strengthen economic growth.

A member of the Open Door Dialogue committee, Dr Sarah Dorgbadzi, urged young Ghanaians to believe in the opportunities available within the country rather than pursuing uncertain futures abroad.

"We need our young people to understand that opportunities exist here," she said.

"They don't have to go and be second- or third-class citizens in other places."

She added that stronger collaboration between local professionals and Africans in the diaspora could stimulate entrepreneurship, create jobs and support national development.

The D.O.O.R. Initiative aims to position Ghana as a preferred destination for Africans in the diaspora seeking to return permanently, acquire property, establish businesses and contribute to the country's economic transformation.

Through the Open Door Dialogue, organisers hope to strengthen partnerships between government, the private sector, civil society and the global African community to ensure that diaspora engagement delivers lasting economic and social benefits.

They believe sustained investment and repatriation can help position Ghana not only as a place of historical reconnection but also as a destination where Africans in the diaspora can build businesses, create wealth and leave a lasting legacy.