Vision
To curate virtual and physical meeting spaces and places that celebrate African heritage and culture, and enlighten, empower, inspire and educate people and communities through knowledge, skills, innovation and learning about Africa.
Connecting Africa's heritage to its future — preserving culture, reuniting the diaspora, and empowering the next generation.
The HACSA Foundation was founded in 2016 by Ambassador Johanna Svaniker with a bold and inspiring mission: to preserve and promote African heritage and culture, reconnect the African diaspora, and empower women and youth. Born from a deep commitment to safeguarding Africa's rich cultural legacy while fostering innovation and socioeconomic development, HACSA has grown into a dynamic force for change on the continent and beyond.
To curate virtual and physical meeting spaces and places that celebrate African heritage and culture, and enlighten, empower, inspire and educate people and communities through knowledge, skills, innovation and learning about Africa.
To reunite the diaspora, preserve and promote African heritage and culture, celebrate the achievements of people of African descent, empower women and girls, and develop leadership and skills in the youth.
After serving as Ghana's Ambassador to France, Portugal and UNESCO, Ambassador Svaniker returned to Ghana with a clear vision — to continue the initiatives she had spearheaded on the global stage. Recognizing the profound value of African heritage and its potential to drive development, she founded HACSA to create a platform that would not only protect Africa's cultural identity but also empower future generations to thrive.
Preservation and promotion of African heritage and culture.
Reconnecting Africa and its global diaspora as one people.
Building leadership and skills in women, girls and the youth.
Innovation and digital transformation across our work.
HACSA's Heritage and Innovation Hubs Project aims to establish a network of cultural and innovation centres across Ghana for tech and creative skills training, innovation, reflection and healing. They will act as impact hubs for all our programmes and projects, regional institutes of learning for locals and visitors alike, a home away from home for the African diaspora, and a meeting point for members of the HACSA Sankofa Network — serving communities, tourists, artists, students, families and schools through educational programmes, exhibitions, workshops and cultural displays.
Tech4Girls is a hands-on learning programme which trains girls and women in digital skills — including ICT, coding and AI — to empower them for career development. It creates opportunities for African girls and women to immerse themselves in technology and acquire skills for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), alongside soft skills such as entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence and leadership.
The HACSA Sankofa Summit is our flagship fundraising event. It celebrates the rich history, heritage and culture of Africa while raising funds for our programmes and projects — developing regional heritage hubs as welcoming, educational, reflection and healing centres for the African diaspora. The Summit is a prestigious gathering convening government leaders, opinion and thought leaders, creatives, captains of industry, academic scholars and influencers.
HACSA was founded under the leadership of its President, Ambassador Johanna Svaniker, in 2016 on her return to Ghana from Paris, to continue the impactful projects she began as Ghana's Ambassador to France, Portugal and UNESCO. Ambassador Svaniker studied law at the London School of Economics and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1990 at the Inner Temple. She qualified as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Ghana in 1991 and has been a university lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, as well as a legal and development consultant.
She founded and was the first Director of the Human Rights Study Centre at the University of Ghana. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Law from the LSE, a Master's in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Master's in Political Science from the University of Oxford. She was a Fulbright Scholar during her time at Harvard and is the author of several publications, including Women's Rights and the Law in Ghana. Her passion is to harness innovation, technology and networks to create career opportunities for the youth and to empower girls and women.
Promoting and Preserving African Heritage & Culture
Training Youth in the Creative Arts & Technology
Forging Partnerships to achieve our Goals
Building the Future We Want
Ambassador Johanna Svaniker is the Founder, President and CEO of the Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa (HACSA), USA and HACSA-Caribbean. In March 2017 she organised the hugely influential African Diaspora Homecoming Conference to celebrate Ghana's 60th independence anniversary — a seminal event that inspired Ghana's "Year of Return" and was followed by the HACSA Sankofa Summit 2019, symbolically commemorating 400 years since the transatlantic slave trade began.
Ghana's recent past Ambassador to France & Portugal and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and La Francophonie, she initiated Ghana's membership of the OECD Development Centre and represented Ghana on its Governing Board. She chaired the ECOWAS Group at UNESCO from 2014 to 2015 and successfully campaigned to win Ghana a seat on the UNESCO Executive Board.
Since its founding, HACSA has established itself as a respected and influential international non-profit. Its impact is visible through: