My Afro Origins — Reconnection, Citizenship & Investment

In brief

On 2 September 2024, Benin enacted a law without precedent in the French-speaking world: law no. 2024-31, which grants people of African descent — the descendants of sub-Saharan Africans deported during the transatlantic slave trade — a right to acquire Beninese nationality through recognition. To put the law into practice, the government launched a dedicated digital platform on 4 July 2025: My Afro Origins.

A right of return, not just an administrative process

As Minister of Justice Yvon Detchenou put it at the launch: "This mechanism gives substance to a law of justice and recognition. By opening the path to Beninese nationality for people of African descent, we honour a fundamental principle: the right of return."

It is a gesture that carries its full weight in light of the country's history: Ouidah was one of the main ports of the transatlantic slave trade in West Africa, and the Slave Route that leads from it to the Door of No Return retraces the final path walked by hundreds of thousands of people before their deportation. My Afro Origins symbolically closes that chapter in the other direction: a legal, memorial, and cultural bond restored with the land of origin.

Benin thus becomes the first French-speaking country to establish an identity-recognition policy of this kind, part of a broader movement also seen in Ghana and Senegal.

How it works

The myafroorigins.bj platform is the official and exclusive portal for filing an application for recognition of Beninese nationality. It is:

• Multilingual: available in French, English, Portuguese, and Spanish
• Fully digital: applications are submitted online and reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and Legislation
• Based on historical descent: the central criterion is being able to establish sub-Saharan ancestry deported off the continent as part of the slave trade

The official site sets out the precise eligibility conditions, the supporting documents required, and the stages of the review process.

What it means for a trip to Benin

For many people pursuing this process, it comes with a stay on the ground — visiting the sites of memory (Ouidah, the Slave Route, Abomey), sometimes with the help of local genealogists to trace a family history. It is a distinct kind of travel, apart from conventional tourism, where the support of an agency specialising in memorial and diaspora tourism can make a real difference.

Going further

👉 File an application on myafroorigins.bj — the official site of the Beninese government

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Verified sources: Government of the Republic of Benin (gouv.bj), law no. 2024-31 of 2 September 2024. This is an evolving programme — always refer to the official site for up-to-date eligibility conditions and procedures, which are not reproduced here in detail.