Six years ago, my dad made one of the best possible decisions for my life: he made sure I got my Togolese passport.
Born and raised in London, but with Nigerian, Ghanaian and Togolese roots, I’ve always had an interest in African cultures and identities. My dad told me that, given my travel streak, having my passport sorted would make my voyages and any potential work in Africa smoother. He was right. But something unexpected happened: even though I’d already visited Togo before, receiving my Togolese passport made me feel more Togolese than ever before. It was as if the official document validated something I’d already felt. Togo felt more like home.
I’m not alone – superstar Ciara expressed a feeling of ‘reconnection’ when she was granted citizenship from Benin, a small country in West Africa, in July last year under the new My Afro Origins law, which offers nationality to descendants of enslaved people. The announcement set social media alight and helped to spotlight the Beninese government’s wider vision to build ties with the African diaspora and boost cultural tourism.
There are similar initiatives from countries like Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Gabon, all of which have offered honorary citizenship to people with direct lineage or who are descendants of enslaved people.
For many of us with direct ties, memories of travelling to Africa were mainly linked to visiting relatives. But travelling back to explore one’s homeland – known as roots tourism – has become more popular than ever for the African diaspora. Younger generations are now visiting to do what they would in any other country or continent: test out restaurants, check out the social scene and nightlife and get some R&R.
Younger generations are now visiting Africa to try restaurants, check out the social scene and nightlife
Travel data backs the trend up. Skyscanner reported a 15 percent year-on-year increase in UK economy flight searches to Accra in July 2025 for travel until the end of the year; a surge no doubt driven by newly launched flight routes to the Ghanaian capital. In January, Conde Nast Traveller named ‘ancestry travel’ one of the biggest travel trends of the year, highlighting the ‘deeply emotional ceremonies and homecomings’ organised by African Ancestry’s Family Reunions.
In my circles, conversations have now shifted from ‘Have you visited Africa?’ to ‘When are you moving back?’. Thanks to an increasingly hostile political climate in the West, with the rise of far-right movements and racial discrimination, there’s a collective desire to be somewhere where you don’t feel like the minority. Now, living in Senegal, having an African passport has become my ultimate stamp of approval.
Conversations have shifted from ‘Have you visited?’ to ‘When are you moving back?’
The same is true for Sandy Abena, founder of Abenafrica, who is awaiting the outcome of her Beninese passport application. Born and raised in Paris, from Guadeloupe but living in Ivory Coast, Abena says the new law is enabling the African diaspora to ‘reclaim what already belongs to us’.
‘Due to slavery, people were taken out of Africa by force. I can come back to Africa, but officially, I’m still French. I will always be proud to be Caribbean, but we aren’t just asking for citizenship; the passport officially shows that we are finally back home’.
Benin’s application process is one of the more accessible citizenship programmes, in that applicants aren’t required to live in Benin to apply. Applications can be done online and cost $100. When Ciara’s citizenship was announced, the government website crashed from the surge in applications.
‘They are basically saying: you don’t have to do much. You’re African already. If you want to bridge the culture between your roots and to understand who you are, the best way to do this is in Benin,’ says Abena.
Sofia Askel, born and raised in London, travelled to Senegal and The Gambia earlier this year to uncover the story of how her grandad arrived in England. Askel was hoping to meet some family members while visiting for the first time, which turned out to be the most transformative experience of her life.
‘Serendipity is the word that best describes my experience, every conversation, interaction and moment led to a greater discovery. It turned out that my Airbnb host’s grandmother knew my grandad back in England. Her father reached out to his network and loads of people reached out with information. I was welcomed home and told, ‘You are not lost.’’
She now has plans to return and spend more time in both countries, describing the feeling that many have when going to the continent for the first time: ‘It was almost as if my body knew that I was touching the earth of my ancestors.’
The feeling of disconnect is quite common. Kiera Payne, born in Seattle, Washington, was granted Sierra Leone citizenship through the Temne Abara Nation (TAN), a heritage and cultural preservation society, along with a number of other African Americans. She now plans to officially move there.
‘After taking an ancestry test at 24, I became obsessed with learning more about a culture, history and way of life I knew nothing about. I knew before I left for Sierra Leone that this was what my soul needed.’
After cultural immersion meetings and a naming ceremony, along with her passport, Payne says, ‘I am not the same person I was before. You have a family waiting for you somewhere and you don’t know it yet.’
For a new generation of travellers, prioritising their roots is now at the heart of tourism and migration – and the trend will continue to boom this year. There’s something powerful about walking through a city where everyone looks like you, but these conversations can only start to brew once we define what home is within ourselves. It’s great that governments are catching up by welcoming us home – and we are certainly answering the call.
Countries welcoming the diaspora home
Ghana
The pioneer of diaspora return. Citizenship is available through Ghanaian ancestry (parent or grandparent) or via the Right of Abode programme. Naturalisation requires five years of residency. Editor’s note: The Ghanaian government temporarily paused applications in February.
Benin
Applicants can apply online via the My Afro Origins platform for $100 (£86.52). Open to those who are over 18, with sub-Saharan African ancestry, and proof of slave trade links. No residency is required – just ancestral documentation.
Sierra Leone
Citizenship is available for those with verified ancestral ties. The 2000 Right of Abode Act grants diaspora members unrestricted travel and work rights. Organisations like Temne Abara Nation can help facilitate.
Guinea-Bissau
Citizenship by descent is granted if one parent is a citizen. The Decade of Return Initiative, launched in 2021, also grants citizenship to verified descendants via African Ancestry DNA testing. First passports were delivered January 2025.
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