The CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr. Akwasi Agyeman and the President of the African American Association of Ghana, Mr. Diallo Sumbry, celebrated Juneteenth in Ghana today, 22 June, with Parade and Walk.
The event took place from the W.E.B. DuBois Centre through the principal streets of Accra, passing by the Lands Commission, the 37 Military Hospital, and finally to the Accra Tourist Information Centre (ATIC).

During the walk, Mr. Akwasi Agyeman highlighted the importance of the Juneteenth celebration in Ghana for the diaspora and the Ghana Tourism Authority.

“It’s a day that we remind ourselves of what our ancestors went through, it also a day that we unite as one big African family to work together to build the continent, to build a Black race, to build the African family. We are excited to be partnering with the African American Association of Ghana here as part of the West Africa Music Festival to celebrate it. Let’s work together. There may be differences as they come back, as they repatriate, and as people come here with different cultures, but we are all people with a common destiny. We urge all of us to support each other and build Ghana and build the African continent.”
He also stressed the importance of the parade:
“A lot of people are coming, and there are a lot of activities. You see a lot of vendors, and people are going to come buy their stuff. When you talk about the tourism and hospitality sector, Â buying clothes, the fashion industry is part of it, the arts industry as well. So, to have this parade and also this bazaar where people can come out and showcase Ghanaian food, is significant”
“I’m so glad the Minister of Tourism is here, and I’m so glad we are joining together to celebrate our heritage. This is what Kwame Nkrumah wanted—that we, around the globe who are Black and have Africa in us, come together to celebrate our collective struggle and freedom,” said Dr. Delia Gillis, historian.
On June 19, the United States observes Juneteenth to commemorate the end of slavery, a painful chapter in the nation’s history whose legacy continues to reverberate.

Today, the diaspora and Black Americans took to the streets of Accra to commemorate such a great sacrifice.
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed enslaved people in Confederate states, but it did not immediately end slavery in places such as Texas that remained under Confederate control. Two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, Union troops led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free. Nationwide emancipation would come only with the ratification of the 13th Amendment later that year.
By Ishmael Awudi | Ghana News Guide