Benin has just launched the digital platform My Afro Origins, designed to process applications for the recognition of Beninese nationality by Afro-descendants.
This portal is part of the implementation of Law No. 2024-31 of September 2, 2024, which for the first time establishes the right of return and citizenship for the descendants of sub-Saharan Africans deported during the slave trade and the transatlantic triangular trade.
“Our brothers and sisters from the diaspora, forcibly uprooted during the dark hours of the transatlantic slave trade, must regain their place within the African community. It is time to heal these wounds and recreate this sacred bond with those who, though physically distant, carry Africa in their hearts,” said Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Benin’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This announcement comes at a time when Afro-descendants—particularly African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans—are seeking to return to Africa, reconnect with their roots, and contribute to the continent's development. It also aligns with the UN-proclaimed International Decade for People of African Descent 2015–2024, which aims to promote human rights, justice, and development for people of African origin living outside the continent.
This initiative is also being pursued by several other countries, including Ghana with its Year of Return program in 2019, and Guinea-Bissau, which recently granted citizenship and issued national passports to a first group of people of African descent.
Beyond recognizing Beninese nationality for Afro-descendants, the initiative could generate real opportunities for economic, cultural, and educational development.
