Ghana News
Historical Diasporans Returning to Africa Warned Against Feeling ‘Superior’: ‘Come Home Humbly, Build Together’
In August 2020, as the world grappled with a pandemic and a long-overdue racial reckoning, a speech by Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao cut through the noise.
The message was for the African diaspora, and it remains urgently relevant today. Her words were a clarion call for return, but with a critical, non-negotiable condition: a radical shift in attitude.
As Ghana’s “Year of Return” momentum evolved into the “Beyond the Return” initiative, and as other African nations opened their doors, Dr. Chihombori-Quao, the former African Union Permanent Representative to the U.S., identified a silent threat to the homecoming dream: the ego of the returnee.
The ‘Been-To’ Mentality: A Barrier to Building
Dr. Chihombori-Quao didn’t mince words. She spoke directly to the experience of being a “been-to,” a term used in Ghana for someone who has “been to” the West.
“We go back home with an attitude. We think just because we’ve been to, we know more than the ones at home. That attitude has got to change,” she stated.
This mindset, she argued, is a primary reason why many returnees struggle to find their footing. It creates an invisible wall, fostering a dynamic of superiority that alienates the very people essential for collaboration.
Whether it’s a continental African returning from the diaspora or an African American settling on the continent, the pitfall is the same: arriving as a lecturer, not a learner.
“The diaspora doesn’t return to lecture. And the continent doesn’t wait to be saved,” her comments remind us. The assumption that Western exposure equates to superior knowledge is not only incorrect, but it also erases the deep, contextual expertise held by those who never left. As she put it plainly, “Africans have a lot to teach you too.”
Solidarity, Not Superiority: The Partnership Paradigm
The core of her message is a redefinition of the returnee’s role. It is not about a heroic figure arriving to “save” Africa, a narrative steeped in colonial tropes. Instead, it is about showing up as an equal partner. “Going ‘back home’ isn’t about superiority, it’s about solidarity,” the sentiment encapsulates.
This means approaching every interaction with humility. It means listening to local entrepreneurs, understanding community needs, and respecting established systems. A returnee’s international expertise in finance, technology, or healthcare is invaluable, but it only becomes powerful when it is applied in partnership with local knowledge. The goal is to co-create solutions, not impose imported ones.
The Urgency of Organisation: A Space to Fill
Dr. Chihombori-Quao’s 2020 address also carried a stark warning about the geopolitical and economic realities of a rising Africa. She recalled a moment when President Trump addressed African leaders, mocking the paradox of a resource-rich continent with widespread poverty. The punchline was a call to action: Africa is open for business, and if the diaspora does not organize, others will.
“If you don’t show up and you stand up and be counted, next time the contracts go to the Chinese, shut up,” she asserted. This frames diaspora engagement not as a charitable endeavour, but as a strategic imperative. It is about claiming a seat at the table as the continent charts its own developmental agenda—an agenda that envisions Africa as a unified market, not 54 fragmented nations.
For decades, other global powers have filled the space. The question she poses is whether the diaspora will remain a bystander or become a primary stakeholder in Africa’s future. “How do we give you contracts when we don’t know where you are? How do we know about your business when you don’t stand up?” she challenged.
Coming Home to Build Together
The ultimate takeaway from Dr. Chihombori-Quao’s enduring message is that the call to “come home” is profound, but the manner of arrival is what determines success. It is a call to come home and build together.
This means rejecting the labels of “been-to” and “local” that divide. It means exchanging condescension (looking down on local opinions) for contribution and pride for partnership.
The opportunity before the diaspora is immense. As Africa takes its place on the world stage, it invites its sons and daughters abroad to be part of the journey—not as saviours on a pedestal, but as humble collaborators in the trenches.
Because when we divide ourselves, as her words imply, we weaken the very future we claim to care about. And that is a risk the African renaissance cannot afford.
In a powerful demonstration of local ownership, Ghanaian research institutions and pharmaceutical manufacturers are contributing an additional €425,000 of their own money to implement innovative health projects, signaling a robust commitment to advancing homegrown medical solutions beyond relying on foreign aid alone.
The co-funding is part of a €2 million grant package awarded under the PharmaVax Ghana program, backed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU).
The initiative is designed to bridge the critical gap between scientific discovery and industrial-scale manufacturing within Ghana.
While the grants provide vital financial fuel, the local co-investment—which ranges from €10,000 to €150,000 across the eight winning projects—represents a crucial “skin in the game” approach.
It shows that local institutions are not merely passive recipients of aid, but active stakeholders willing to risk their own capital to bring products to the market. This practical commitment underscores the sustainability of the projects, ensuring they are not abandoned once international funding cycles end.
The projects span a wide range of medical priorities, including fast-dissolving oral tablets for child-friendly malaria treatment, AI-powered diagnostic tools for Mpox and malaria, standardized herbal treatments for hypertension and liver disease, and stability data for locally produced tetanus-diphtheria vaccines.
Highlighting the importance of this local participation, Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), emphasized that the funds are meant to catalyze local capabilities.
“Ghana has the scientific talent, the research institutions and an increasingly capable pharmaceutical industry to develop health solutions that respond to our own priorities,” he stated. “By bringing these strengths together, we are creating the foundation for medicines and vaccines that are developed in Ghana, manufactured in Ghana, and have the potential to benefit the wider region.”
Ghana’s Minister of Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, echoed this sentiment, noting that the initiative marks a journey where researchers and manufacturers collaborate to transform scientific discoveries into life-saving products.
The €425,000 in local contributions—combined with the €2 million in grants and technical assistance from the EU and Germany—positions Ghana as a rising hub for pharmaceutical industrialization in West Africa, moving the nation closer to health security and economic self-reliance.
Ghana News
From Default to Discipline: How Ghana is Legally Binding Itself to Prevent the Next Debt Crisis
Fresh off a landmark agreement with Belgium that eases its debt burden, Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has unveiled a sweeping package of legal and institutional reforms designed to permanently prevent the country from sliding back into the fiscal chaos that triggered its 2022 sovereign default.
The deal with Belgium to restructure €163 million in debt owed to the country’s Export Credit Agency marks a pivotal step towards completing Ghana’s broader debt restructuring program. Crucially, the agreement frees up much-needed “fiscal space” by slashing the amount of national revenue consumed by debt servicing. Minister Forson revealed that Ghana’s debt-service burden has fallen drastically from a crippling peak of roughly 50% to 55% of national revenue to less than 20% today—a shift that directly impacts the government’s ability to fund schools, hospitals, and roads.
However, the most significant aspect of Ghana’s strategy is its attempt to codify fiscal prudence into law, ensuring that the discipline learned from the crisis is not lost by future administrations.
A Three-Pronged Strategy for Fiscal Discipline
1. The Commitment Authorization Regime
At the core of the immediate controls is a strict mandate for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Under the amended Public Financial Management Act, no government institution can initiate a contract for goods, services, or works without first securing commitment authorization from the Finance Minister . This process, integrated with the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), acts as a “roadblock” to prevent overspending and the accumulation of hidden arrears—a practice that historically poisoned the country’s finances.
2. Binding Fiscal Rules in Law
Beyond day-to-day controls, the government has instituted statutory targets to ensure long-term solvency. The Public Financial Management Act has been amended to require a minimum annual primary surplus of 1.5% of GDP and to cap the national debt-to-GDP ratio at 45% by 2034 . These are not policy recommendations but binding legal requirements, with the Finance Minister potentially facing censure for breaching these targets.
3. Independent Oversight Institutions
To guarantee that fiscal responsibility is maintained even after Ghana concludes its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, the government has established two powerful oversight bodies:
- The Value for Money Office: Parliament passed the Value-for-Money Office Bill in March 2026, creating an independent body to scrutinize major public expenditure. This office will combat inflated contracts, cost overruns, and abandoned projects by issuing mandatory “Value for Money Certificates” before major contracts are awarded.
- The Independent Fiscal Council: The government is establishing a council composed of locally appointed experts to provide advisory support on financial controls and fiscal decision-making . This council, scheduled to take effect after the IMF programme ends, aims to strengthen domestic oversight and accountability, ensuring that Ghana owns its fiscal destiny.
From Recovery to Sustainability
Finance Minister Ato Forson is clear about the goal: “We want to ensure that the fiscal rules that we have instituted today are enshrined in law, so that even if this government is not there, the next government will have to make sure that these fiscal rules are respected” .
The Belgium agreement is the immediate piece of good news that provides tangible relief—allowing Ghana to redirect more resources towards essential public services. But the real measure of Ghana’s recovery will be its ability to enforce these new legal shackles.
By moving from crisis management to institutionalized discipline, Ghana is attempting to break the cycle of over-borrowing, arrears, and economic collapse that has plagued the nation for decades.
In a significant boost to Africa’s push for pharmaceutical self-reliance, the European Union (EU) and Germany have injected €2 million into Ghana to bridge the critical gap between laboratory research and industrial-scale manufacturing.
The funding, awarded under the PharmaVax Ghana programme, has been distributed to eight groundbreaking research partnerships aimed at developing and manufacturing medicines and vaccines locally, drastically reducing the continent’s historical reliance on imported drugs.
The announcement came during the “Research Meets Manufacturing” Award Ceremony in Accra on August 19, co-hosted by Ghana’s National Vaccine Institute (NVI) and the German development agency GIZ.
The grants are jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU) as part of the broader Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+).
This strategic geopolitical and economic move underscores Western Europe’s commitment to backing local African manufacturing ecosystems, countering the long-standing structural imbalance where Africa imports over 90% of its pharmaceuticals.
“A ceremony marks the beginning of an important journey—a journey that brings researchers, manufacturers, government and international partners together to transform scientific discoveries into medicines and vaccines that save and improve lives,” said Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ghana’s Minister of Health, during the event.
Innovation Across the Health Spectrum
The eight winning projects, selected from 43 competitive proposals by an independent committee of nine Ghanaian experts, represent the breadth of the nation’s scientific talent. They include:
- AI-driven monoclonal antibodies and diagnostics for Mpox and malaria, using a Ghanaian artificial intelligence platform.
- Fast-dissolving oral tablets for the treatment of malaria in children, addressing critical issues of accurate dosing.
- Clinical trials for locally developed herbal treatments for prostate health, hypertension, and alcohol-related liver disease.
- Stability data generation to support regulatory approval of locally produced tetanus-diphtheria vaccines, snake venom antiserum, and pain management therapies.
A Foundation for Health Sovereignty
Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute, emphasized that the grants go far beyond financial aid.
“Ghana has the scientific talent, the research institutions and an increasingly capable pharmaceutical industry to develop health solutions that respond to our own priorities,” Dr. Sodzi-Tettey stated. “By bringing these strengths together, we are creating the foundation for medicines and vaccines that are developed in Ghana, manufactured in Ghana, and have the potential to benefit the wider region.”
Notably, Ghanaian partners are contributing an additional €425,000 towards implementing their projects, demonstrating a strong local commitment to advancing homegrown innovation. Alongside the direct funding, the projects will also receive technical assistance, networking opportunities, and knowledge exchange to ensure long-term commercial viability.
As the global health community increasingly looks to localized manufacturing to secure supply chains, this €2 million initiative serves as a pivotal case study.
It represents a concrete, actionable blueprint for how international development capital can ignite the “Made in Africa” pharmaceutical industrial wave, securing the continent’s health security and driving economic development from within.
Ghanaian Firms Inject €425,000 of Own Funds to Ignite ‘Made in Ghana’ Health Innovation
From Default to Discipline: How Ghana is Legally Binding Itself to Prevent the Next Debt Crisis
