A world-class museum will be built in Ghana to grow connections with African-Americans seeking to better understand their heritage. This came after Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo attended a signing ceremony between the W. E. B. Du Bois Museum Foundation and the Government of Ghana, in New York this week.

Dr. William Edward Du Bois, an author and civil rights pioneer was a friend of Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah. He moved to Accra, where he is buried, and a memorial centre was opened in 1985. The museum trustees have decided to expand the site into a complex or living museum for scholars that will be designed by Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye. It will contain a museum, library with Du Bois’ writings and collections spanning 50 years, an auditorium, and guest house while the bungalow where Du Bois lived will be refurnished. The goal is to make Ghana the hub of pan-African research and heritage tourism

Ghana has a special connection with African-Americans who seek ways to reintegrate with or reconnect with Africa, the continent from which their ancestors descended.  12% of visitors to Ghana were from the USA and the country aims to be the preferred West African designation for North America, through heritage tours, and “back to Africa” promotions. .

Ghana dubbed 2019 the “year of return” to mark the 400th anniversary of slaves arriving in the USA. The theme of the campaign has now extended to “beyond the year of return” to encourage people in the diaspora to come and live or invest in Africa.