Jamaican star Popcaan buys $5.5m mansion in Ghana after ‘Year of Return’

Jamaica’s music star, Popcaan, has acquired a new home in Ghana. The highly sought-after singer and songwriter revealed this in a video he posted on Instagram.

Walking through the hallway of his newly acquired $5.5m mansion, Popcaan said: “Over Africa wicked man ting. Mi jus buy mi brand new house over Ghana. Yuh haffi have house everyweh!”

In another clip, the Unruly Boss chastised other artistes for only wanting houses in Jamaica.

Popcaan, who has over the years endeared himself to Ghana, arrived in the country as part of the Year of Return festivities.

This acquisition has been lauded by many who believe it ties in with the Government’s ‘Beyond the Return’ agenda which aims at encouraging Africans in the diaspora to invest in the country to make it a better place.

Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo in his last visit to Jamaica encouraged Jamaicans to visit Ghana.

Popcaan isn’t the only Jamaican celebrity with some Ghanaian interest. Rita Marley, the wife of Bob Marley, officially became a Ghanaian citizen after she was honored with Ghanaian citizenship by President Nana Akufo-Addo last year.

Prior to her citizenship, Marley has lived in Ghana for more than a decade.

The singer, who relocated to Ghana in the early 2000s was made an honorary citizen of Ghana by the Ghanaian government in 2013. She had a successful stay in Ghana until she suffered a stroke in 2016 on her trip to Miami.

Since then she has kept a low profile.

The “Year of Return” initiative which was launched in Washington DC has been applauded with many describing it as a huge success.

According to the Tourism Minister Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, Ghana’s economy generated a total of $1.9 billion through activities related to the “Year of Return”. She said: “There has been tremendous community involvement which has stimulated the local economy including hoteliers, tour operating and other related businesses.”

Data from ‘The Year of Return’ Secretariat in the first nine months of 2019 also revealed that there have been 80,862 more arrivals from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and other key target nations than the figure recorded the previous year.

The figures showed that in-bound airport arrivals from the United States of America increased by 26 percent (17,455) and the United Kingdom by 24 percent (9,812). An official noted, “Total airport arrivals have increased by 45 percent (237,088), compared to last year.”

It all started in December 2018 when actor Boris Kodjoe and some of his Hollywood friends and family including; Nicole Ari Parker, Diggy Simmons, Micheal Jai White, Anthony Anderson (of Blackish), Rosario Dawson, Jidenna, Cynthia Bailey, Bozoma Saint John spent a significant part of their month in Ghana.

Steve Harvey, Samuel L. Jackson, Deborah Cox, Ernie Smith, Irvin Mayfield, reggae band Third World, Luda Cris, Cardi B, Rick Ross, Kofi Kingston, Lupita Nyong’o, Danny Glover, T.I, Tiny, and Hisham Tawfiq also made separate trips to Ghana in 2019.