President John Dramani Mahama has urged Ghanaians at home and across the diaspora to consciously strengthen their unity, warning that division remains one of the most powerful tools used to weaken African societies.
Speaking at the Diaspora Summit 2025 in Accra on Friday, December 19, President Mahama said Ghana’s national story cannot be complete without fully embracing the experiences and contributions of the diaspora. The summit was held under the theme “Resetting Ghana: The Diaspora as the 17th Region.”Ghana travel guide
According to the President, separation and division have historically denied people a true sense of home and belonging, making them easier to control.
“The reason I believe it is important that we consciously carry the story of the diaspora as part and parcel of Ghana’s story is because what divides us ultimately denies us the ability to be home,” he said. “That division is precisely why it becomes the perfect way to conquer.”
President Mahama criticised artificial boundaries imposed during the colonial era, noting that they split ethnic and cultural communities across borders and subjected them to different colonial administrations.
“How can I deny the fact that we are undeniably and inextricably part of each other, and yet we have been divided with artificial doors of colonialism that split ethnic homelands right down the middle?” he asked.
He further noted that beyond colonial borders, other systems such as coups, armed conflicts and externally driven development interventions have also contributed to fragmentation across the continent.
President Mahama called on participants to challenge and overturn the systems and narratives that once oppressed African people.
“Let’s take the narrative of those who oppressed us and work it. In fact, let’s take their entire modus operandi and flip it and reverse it,” he said.
He concluded with a strong appeal for deliberate unity, stressing that overcoming historical divisions requires conscious effort and shared purpose.
“So I urge you, my brothers and sisters, let’s be more intentional about our unity than they were about our division,” President Mahama stated.
