Is Ghana's GH₵25,000 citizenship fee too high for the African diaspora?
The route is open through the Interior Ministry's portal. The GH₵25,000 fee is under review.
By Ernest · 12 October 2026
If you are Black or African and living abroad, you may be wondering whether Ghana's citizenship route for the historic diaspora is open right now. The short answer from the Ministry of the Interior is yes, with a high fee and some open questions. Here is the sequence, using official sources where we could find them.
February: a pause, then vetting
On 2 February 2026 the BBC reported that Ghana had paused citizenship applications for people of African descent, saying the system needed to be easier to use. Applicants had complained about the number of stages and the cost, and about a one-week deadline for DNA evidence. The government said new timelines and guidelines would come "in due course". [1]
On 10 February the Interior Ministry and the Diaspora Affairs Office announced that vetting would resume from 11 February at the Dubois Centre in Cantonments, Accra, in batches. Applicants should wait for a notice from the Ministry before turning up. [2]
March: the swearing-in
The ministry had said not everyone could take part in the ceremony set for 5 March because of the number of applicants. [2] On 9 March, 150 members of the African diaspora were granted citizenship at a ceremony in Accra, according to AFP. Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang and Interior Minister Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed attended. More than 1,000 people have obtained Ghanaian citizenship through the route in recent years. [3] Some outlets reported 155; AFP's figure is 150.
The fee
The Ministry's fees page, based on the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 (L.I. 2512), lists "Diaspora Naturalisation" at GH₵25,000. [4] The BBC reported in February that applicants paid a $136 application fee and, if shortlisted, a further $2,280. [1] A woman who got citizenship in 2019 told MyJoyOnline she paid between GH₵150 and GH₵200. [5]
Diaspora groups have complained, and a University of Ghana professor said in July that more than 2,300 people had signed a petition. [6] On 19 September the head of the Diaspora Affairs Office, Kofi Okyere Darko, said he had asked the Interior Minister to look at the amount again. He said government did not want cost to become a barrier. No new amount has been published that we could find. [5]
What to do now
The Ministry says the process remains open through its e-services portal (e-services.mint.gov.gh) and "no one will be disadvantaged". [2] For questions you can write to [email protected] or call the Migration Unit on 0303 956 713. [2] Check the Ministry's fees page for the figure in force on the day you apply. [4]
Whether more grants come around Ghana's 70th independence anniversary in 2027 is speculation. The Ministry has not said so.
Sources and data note
Prepared 12 October 2026. Checked against the Interior Ministry's own press release and fees page. We did not find an official statement newer than September on the fee review.
[1] BBC News Africa, 2 February 2026
[2] Ministry of the Interior, 10 February 2026
[3] France 24 / AFP, 10 March 2026
[4] Ministry of the Interior, fees and charges