American Black Activist and Motivational Speaker, Dr Umar Johnson Obtains Ghanaian Citizenship

• African-American psychologist and black activist, Dr Umar Johnson has taken the oath of allegiance to become a Ghanaian citizen
• Dr Umar, who is also a motivational speaker, was captured in a trending video at the citizenship ceremony
• The news of Dr Umar's Ghanaian citizenship sparked pleasant reactions from netizens on social media

A renowned African-American motivational speaker and black activist, Dr Umar Johnson has taken the plunge to obtain Ghanaian citizenship.

This development marks a significant milestone in Dr Umar's journey as a known advocate for Pan-Africanism.

A video sighted on TikTok saw the motivational speaker, who is also a psychologist, at his citizenship ceremony which was held on Monday, January 6, 2025.

Dr Umar Johnson was part of 200 African-Americans who took their oath of allegiance to become citizens of the Republic of Ghana.

This comes after over 524 individuals from the diaspora were granted citizenship in the latter part of 2024 by President Akufo-Addo.

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President, Nana Akufo-Addo recently opened Ghana's borders for visa-free entry to all individuals with African passports.

This is in furtherance of the "Year of Return and "Beyond the Return" initiatives launched by the Government of Ghana.

The Year of Return initiative was launched in 2019 to mark the 400th anniversary of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It also aimed to invite diasporans from America, Europe, and the Caribbean to return home to the motherland.

The Beyond the Return initiative was also aimed at sustaining the successes chalked with the Year of Return celebration.

Below is the video of Dr Umar at his citizenship ceremony.

Reactions to Dr Umar's Ghanaian citizenship status

The news of Dr Umar Johnson's citizenship was met with excitement by some Ghanaians on social media.

As a newly conferred citizen of Ghana, Dr Umar and the cohort of diasporans are expected to contribute their quota to the development of the country and the promotion of pan-Africanism.

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YEN.com.gh compiled a few of the reactions on social media below:

@Biggest Najie said:

"Y’all are welcome home."

@Kencutproofficial also said:

"Congrats, you are welcome to become our brother in Ghana. We love you so much. We see your good work on the media Instagram and the rest of how you talk about GHANA."

@SAM commented:

"Congratulations, brothers and sisters, welcome home."

@Ekow Ekow also commented:

"You are warmly welcome Dr Umar. congratulations."

@Tee bagg wrote:

"Welcome home. I respect you soo much sir."

@Dash Co also wrote:

"This isn't right. A DNA test will tell you where you are from in Africa. then you should be able to get citizenship from that nation. African American ancestors were taken from different tribes."

75-year-old African-American becomes Ghanaian citizen

In a related story, YEN.com.gh reported that a 75-year-old African-American fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a Ghanaian citizen.

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The 75-year-old man was among the 524 African-Americans who were recently conferred with Ghanaian citizenship.

In a video circulating on social media, the elderly man expressed gratitude to the Government of Ghana for the honour bestowed on him.

Proofread by Samuel Gitonga, Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh