A Smart Ghana Repatriation Guide

Diallo Sumbry is the President and CEO of The Adinkra Group, an African cultural resource company with a mission to cultivate cultural exchange opportunities and facilitate small business development and investment throughout the African diaspora.Diallo has led nearly 1,000 people to Africa in the past 3 years. Most recently, in collaboration with the NAACP, he developed and facilitated the Jamestown to Jamestown tour of Ghana. This monumental journey brought over 250 people, ranging in age from 4 to 87, for a 10-day pilgrimage marking The Year of Return - a year-long initiative to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the United States.In December 2018, Diallo was appointed US Ambassador for Tourism for Ghana in recognition of his impact on the country's cultural and tourism sectors, and his role as one of the architects of The Year of Return. He is the first African-American to receive this title.Diallo Sumbry's professional and educational background have uniquely positioned him to be a creator of valuable projects in alignment with his mission to connect people of African descent with their rich cultural and ancestral heritage through innovative projects with a broad impact.A native of Trenton, NJ, Diallo holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of the District of Columbia. Though his life's work takes him around the world, his home base remains in Washington, DC where The Adinkra Group's family organizations are headquartered. Diallo can often be found in his offices at the Adinkra Cultural Arts Studios - a 3500 sq ft complex located in the heart of the Gateway Arts District in Mt. Rainier, MD committed to providing classes, workshops and events specific to the arts of the African diaspora for individuals ages two to adult. His team also manages Farafina Kan - an intergenerational West African drum and dance performing ensemble. Diallo serves as Director of Partnerships for AfricanAncestry.com, the largest DNA ancestry testing company for people of African descent.Diallo is a husband of 20+ years, father of two, and proud and doting grandfather. Akwasi Awua Ababio offers the preface for A Smart Ghana Repatriation Guide. He was appointed in February 2017 as the Director of Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President. He is responsible for overseeing the overall formulation and implementation of the Ghana Diaspora Engagement Policy.The Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President (DAOOP), was established in February 2017.The objective behind establishing the office at the Presidency, emphasises the importance the government places on the contributions Ghanaians in the Diaspora make to the economy.Ghanaians in the Diaspora, serve in building bridges between their country of residence and Ghana by providing market access, sources of expertise, knowledge. Akwasi Agyeman wrote the foreward for A Smart Ghana Repatriation Guide. He is the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, the lead Public Service Agency in charge of regulating tourism in Ghana through marketing and promotion, licensing and classification of tourism facilities and services, investments, research and development.Prior to his appointment in January 2017, he was a shareholding partner of Global Media Alliance, a Media Consultancy and broadcasting company.The Adinkra Group signed an MOU with Ghana Tourism Authority in 2017 and have had a working relationship since which helped to facilitate the Back2Africa Festival and eventually the Year of Return as a co-architect and member of the steering committee. Amma Gyampo is the primary guest contributor in the chapter ? Managing Traffic: Business & Investment ?.She is a native Ghanaian and the co-founder of the African B2B Entrepreneurship Advisory and Support firm, ScaleUp Africa. She is also an Advisor to several businesses and strategic bodies including Impact Investing Ghana and women-focused incubator, Kumasi Hive.Amma is a thought leader and convener in the Ghanaian Diaspora Business community, Entrepreneurship, Gender Equality and Economic Empowerment ecosystem having been featured in Forbes, BBC and Entrepreneur.com over the years.She recently convened and curated one of the most notable Ghana-Diaspora Business events of 2020, IGNITE New York Times bestselling romance novelist Brenda Joyce has won a number of awards for her work, including a Best Western Romance award for her debut novel, a Best Historical Romance award, and two lifetime achievement awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. Gabriel Ammah is our guest contributor in the chapter ? Dirty Games: Land, Real Estate & Renting ?.Gabriel was born in London and spent a few years of his childhood in Ghana but always knew he would return to make a difference and help change the narrative of his people.In 2016, after living in London and the United States, Gabriel fulfilled his dream and relocated back to Ghana. He built his first apartment block on his family land in Accra, cementing his love of construction. He later set up @blackwood_properties services, a real estate company, that would help diasporans relocate back to Ghana. Gbontwi Anyetei is our special guest contributor in the chapter ? Know Some History (small small) ?.Gbontwi was born in West Africa spending his infancy in Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana and Zimbabwe before moving to London. He has been a writer for 10+ years.His first book 'What Do You Call It?' was published in 2010 and his second novel 'Mensah' in 2017. Currently living in Accra, Ghana he's produced a few shorts and written extensively for television and a variety of plays including a shortplay that was recorded at @BBC's 1xtra radio studios.We're excited to introduce you to his voice and are blessed to have him as special guest contributor. Ivy Prosper is our guest contributor in the chapter ? Media & Messaging ?.Born in Ghana, Ivy spent most of her life living in Canada and a short period in the U.S. while studying radio and television broadcasting. Ivy is a Media Professional with experience as a TV Host, Producer, Writer, and Public Speaker. She is the Author of the book, 'Your Essential Guide on Moving to Ghana'. Ivy is also a Documentary Film Producer and Fixer.She is currently the Social Media Manager for the @YearofReturn and @BeyondtheReturn on instagram.As an advocate for the empowerment of women and girls she has delivered powerful motivational talks to thousands of youth on issues of self-esteem, body image, confidence and career goals. Shannan Akosua Magee is our special guest contributor to our chapter ? Education: Theory & Practice ?.She is the founder of Akosua and Associates- an Afro Diasporic travel, repatriation and relocation coaching consultancy based in Accra - Ghana, West Africa. Akosua has provided "boots on the ground" guidance and advice about how best to plan a successful exit from the Americas to Africa for over 17 years. She is well known for starting a support platform called Sisters In Progress of Moving to Ghana, a fb group with over 1000 registered Diasporan women in the process of actively relocating to Ghana. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a Fulbright Scholar, and a licensed K-12 School Superintendent in Massachusetts.In 2019, Akosua gained her citizenship in Ghana ?? ?? ??. Danny Damah is our special guest contributor for the chapter ? Honorable & You: The Government ?.Born in Ghana, raised in India and educated in America, Danny Damah is an award winning film producer, industrialist and accidental technologist. He was a Producer on Beasts of No Nation, the ambassador for international film productions in Ghana and brings in over 22 years of experience in the business of film production, marketing and communication. His desire to return to his homeland Ghana to offer his skillset and services through his Partnership with Tony Tagoe that could service the high-end needs of the film and television industries in West Africa became a lifelong dream fulfilled. He currently a Director at TDAfrique.comHe holds a number of director and shareholder positions across various companies globally that span industries and is an expert in public private partnership government relations.