Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on African countries to automatically grant citizenship to people of African descent who wish to become nationals of countries on the continent, arguing that Africa has a responsibility to welcome its people scattered across the world.
Obasanjo made the call during a panel session at the Afreximbank Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026 in Lagos, where discussions centred on reconnecting Africa with the Caribbean and the wider global African community.
Responding to a question from a participant of Caribbean descent who wanted to know whether people whose ancestors were taken from Africa during the transatlantic slave trade could return and obtain citizenship, the former president said he supported automatic citizenship for members of the diaspora.
He said, “Anybody from the diaspora who wants to have Nigerian citizenship should automatically be given.”
Obasanjo argued that Nigeria, as the country with the largest population of Black people in the world, had a particular responsibility towards people of African descent.
“Why does God make Nigeria the largest population of black race in the world? Because we have to, we must have responsibility for all the black races in the world,” he said.
He also urged other African countries to adopt similar policies to make it easier for people of African descent to reconnect with their ancestral homeland.
His position followed a question from a participant who cited citizenship arrangements in St Vincent and the Grenadines, where people with ancestral connections to the country could qualify for citizenship under certain conditions.
Contributing to the discussion, Paulette Angela Ramsey, professor of Afro-Hispanic Literatures and Culture from Jamaica, highlighted existing arrangements in Jamaica and Ghana that allow people with ancestral or historical connections to access citizenship.
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Ramsey said Jamaica allowed people to establish citizenship claims through ancestral connections, including evidence that their great-great-grandparents were born in the country.
She also cited Ghana’s arrangements for members of the diaspora seeking to settle in the country, explaining that eligible applicants could pursue citizenship after residing there for five years and meeting the relevant requirements.
She further highlighted Ethiopia’s historical provision of land to Jamaican Rastafarians, which enabled some members of the community to establish settlements in the country.
However, Ramsey said African countries needed to make travel easier for people seeking to reconnect with the continent, noting that visa applications, entry requirements and other administrative procedures could discourage diaspora visits.
Obasanjo also acknowledged the difficulties of movement across African countries, disclosing that he and Ghanaian President John Mahama had been exploring a proposal for about 25 African countries to eliminate visa requirements among themselves.
He said countries already practising visa-on-arrival arrangements could consider removing visa requirements among themselves as an initial step towards broader continental mobility.
According to him, successful implementation could eventually create a pathway for wider free movement across Africa.
The discussion also highlighted the broader importance of reconnecting Africa with its diaspora through citizenship, cultural exchange, investment and economic cooperation.
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Obasanjo maintained that Africans and people of African descent should recognise their shared responsibilities and work towards common prosperity, arguing that historical divisions should not prevent them from building stronger relationships.
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Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks.
She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings.
Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.
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