For Dr. Cheryl Polote Williamson, a recent trip to Ghana became something much larger than a business delegation or cultural exchange.
It became a homecoming of sorts, a new chapter in her work across the African diaspora and a formal invitation to help build relationships between Ghana and Black communities in the United States.
In September, Williamson was enstooled by the Anona Royal Family as Nana Aba Kwekuwah Somah I, Queen Mother of Development for the Abura Odonase traditional area in Ghana’s Central Region.
The ceremony brought together the Abura Odonase community, more than 25 divisional chiefs and queen mothers led by Nana Tsipo Amanfo of Abura, and the Omanhen of Abura State, Emintsinminim Otu XI.
According to Williamson, nearly 1,000 people attended.
“The whole village showed up,” Williamson told Dallas Weekly. “I had so many Chiefs and kings that came and people who now want to partner and do other things.”
The significance of the moment extends beyond Williamson’s individual recognition. Her new role places a Dallas-based philanthropist and businesswoman within Ghana’s traditional leadership structure while giving her another platform to build connections between Ghana and members of the African diaspora.
RELATED: Dallas Women Appointed to Ghana Tourism Federation Leadership Roles
That work comes at a time when Ghana has continued to position itself as a destination for members of the global African diaspora seeking cultural connection, business opportunities, investment and a deeper relationship with the continent.
From Dallas to Ghana
Dallas Weekly has followed part of Williamson’s Ghana journey since June, when Williamson and fellow Dallas leader Swan Lee were among four Dallas women inducted into leadership and advisory roles connected to the Ghana Tourism Federation.
In its previous coverage, Dallas Weekly reported that Williamson was appointed an adviser to the Ghana Tourism Federation, becoming the first American woman to serve in that advisory role, while Lee joined GHATOF’s Marketing and Public Relations Committee. The appointments were part of a broader effort to strengthen tourism, business, cultural diplomacy and diaspora engagement between Ghana and the United States.
Read Dallas Weekly’s previous coverage of the Ghana Tourism Federation appointments
Williamson’s latest honor expands that relationship.
Just days before her enstoolment, she was appointed Ghana Tourism Federation Tourism Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs by GHATOF President Seth Ocran. In that role, she is charged with championing diaspora tourism, investment and cultural exchange between Ghana and the United States.
Her first official assignment included leading a 20-member U.S.-Ghana Business Delegation composed of women from across the United States.
The delegation participated in the inaugural Dr. Cheryl Polote Williamson Business and Cultural Summit on Sept. 14, where the women heard from representatives of Ghana’s Diaspora Affairs Office, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Real Estate Agency Council, the National Commission on Culture and GHATOF.
The delegation also visited cultural and historical sites including the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre and Elmina Castle.
Together, the women contributed more than $200,000 to Ghana’s local economy during the seven-day visit, according to the press release.
For Williamson, however, the trip was about more than tourism dollars.
It was about creating relationships that can continue after the delegation returns home.
Building Across the Black Diaspora
Diaspora relationships can take many forms. They can be rooted in ancestry and history, but they can also develop through entrepreneurship, philanthropy, education, tourism and cultural exchange.
Williamson’s work brings those threads together.
Her appointment as Tourism Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs gives her a role in helping create pathways between Ghana and Americans of African descent who may be interested in visiting, investing, establishing businesses, learning more about their heritage or developing long-term partnerships.
The Business and Cultural Summit provided a tangible example of that approach.
Members of the delegation were introduced to Ghanaian officials and business leaders who discussed everything from business regulation and real estate to cultural institutions, tourism and pathways toward dual citizenship.
Representatives from Ghana’s Diaspora Affairs Office also discussed the country’s efforts to grant citizenship to members of the historic African diaspora through executive-led naturalization initiatives. According to the press release, 150 diaspora citizens received Ghanaian citizenship in March 2026, bringing the total number granted citizenship through the program to nearly 1,000 since its launch in 2016.
Williamson said the enstoolment has opened additional doors for her personally, including opportunities related to dual citizenship and international travel.
“It is a big deal more than I could ever have even imagined,” she said. “It has opened up so many doors for me to get my dual citizenship, diplomatic passport, travel the world as a brand for diplomacy for Ghana.”
That distinction matters in understanding the scope of Williamson’s new position.
She is not simply returning to Ghana as a visitor. Her work is increasingly situated at the intersection of philanthropy, business, tourism and cultural diplomacy.
A Queen Mother’s Work Is Active
The title of Queen Mother also carries responsibilities beyond the ceremony itself.
During her enstoolment and swearing-in ceremony, Williamson presented a 12-point strategic plan for her continued work in Abura Odonase, with an emphasis on women, children and youth.
One immediate project is the renovation of a village school.
“Creating the space and opportunity for our children to dream isn’t just an ideal; it is our shared responsibility,” Williamson said in the press release. “When we widen their horizons and clear the path before them, we allow them to discover the endless possibilities of who they can become.”
She continued, “As our elders say, ‘If you can see it, you can be it.’ Let us give the next generation the vision, confidence and room to rise.”
That philosophy is already being translated into projects.
Williamson’s nonprofit, Soul Reborn, delivered sanitary napkins and Liberty Cards to children and youth in Accra following contributions from members of the U.S. delegation.
She is scheduled to return to Ghana in October to continue work on an ICT Center in Abura Odonase and build relationships with students at Osu Presbyterian Girls’ School. She also plans to introduce the purpose and benefits of Liberty Cards to four additional schools.
The projects reflect a model of diaspora engagement that moves beyond symbolic connection.
For Williamson, cultural reconnection is being paired with material investment in communities.
Connecting Business With Service
The 20 women who traveled with Williamson represent another part of the larger picture.
International Black relations are not limited to governments or diplomatic institutions. Business owners, nonprofit leaders, educators, artists, journalists and community organizers can also become conduits between Black communities separated by geography but connected by history.
Williamson’s delegation brought that concept into practice by pairing cultural immersion with business education.
Participants were introduced to Ghanaian institutions responsible for investment, real estate, tourism and culture while also experiencing sites connected to the history of the African diaspora.
The visit to Elmina Castle, in particular, placed contemporary business relationships against the backdrop of the transatlantic slave trade and the historical forces that dispersed African people across the Americas.
That contrast is important.
The descendants of a people whose movement across the Atlantic was once dictated by violence and exploitation are now building voluntary relationships across that same ocean through investment, travel, philanthropy and cultural exchange.
For Williamson, the opportunity is to help make those relationships lasting.
From Honor to Legacy
Williamson’s next major delegation is already taking shape.
In March 2027, she plans to lead another group to Ghana to mark the country’s 70th anniversary of independence.
As Queen Mother of Development for Abura Odonase and GHATOF Tourism Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs, Williamson will continue working to attract partners and resources for projects in the region.
Those needs include sanitary products, hardware and software for the planned ICT Center, library books, desks, uniforms and infrastructure funding.
The work also gives Dallas another connection to a global Black network.
Dallas Weekly’s June coverage described the involvement of Williamson, Lee, Dr. Grace Darko and Megan Williams in Ghana’s tourism ecosystem as part of a growing relationship between Dallas and Ghana. The latest developments suggest that these relationships are moving beyond appointments and into sustained exchange.
For Williamson, the journey has already changed the scale of what she sees as possible.
“I had so many chiefs and kings that came and people who now want to partner and do other things,” she said.
Now known as Nana Aba Kwekuwah Somah I, Williamson has been given a title rooted in Ghanaian tradition. But the work ahead is rooted in something broader: creating pathways between Black people across borders and turning cultural connection into opportunity.
Her story is no longer simply about a Dallas icon being honored in Ghana.
It is about what can happen when members of the African diaspora build relationships with the continent not only through heritage, but through business, service, education, philanthropy and an investment in the generations coming next.
