Just beyond the Return, the “Gateway” to Africa awaits you! The tour begins in Accra and heads west where you will visit the W.E.B. DuBois Center for Pan Africanism and Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, the Cape Coast and Elmina Salve Castles/dungeons and more. Experience the dungeons that were designed to steal hope, but today we celebrate at the Door of Return. Head north, stop to hear the echoes of the ancestors at Assin Manso (the River of the Last Bath; for those captured by the slave trappers). Visit Kumasi, the historic and majestic Ashante Region the home of the golden stool and more! We will round the tour out with a farewell ceremony like no other back in Accra, visit the beaches and return to the USA with a new perspective on life!
The Sankofa US Elite Tour is even more than the typical Sankofa US Tour. You will experience fun in the sun, mixed with history, culture just like the other tours, but this tour provides the elements of elegance that will make you forget you are in a developing country. .But make no mistake, our tour will still stimulate conversations that will provoke a fresh new light on the world, your community and yourself. We will personally be there with you throughout your “Return” experience to ensure you maximize every moment.
Bishop Lance Davis, former pastor and the Executive Minister of the Evangelical Covenant Church has traveled to Ghana, West Africa for over 20 years. Now, with his partner LaNiece Flagg Sankofa US is projected the primer agency that focuses on an American enculturation experience in Ghana. Sankofa US has designed a tour that will bring a unique experience to travelers and enhance their perspective of themselves and of Ghana, West Africa!
Sankofa is the ancient Adinkra Symbol of a bird flying forward, yet looking back with a fruit in its mouth. We call this trip the Sankofa Tour because as we make forward progression in our lives, it is important that we look back to the place that connects us to the root of our being; all while bringing something to the table and leaving with something of value - good fruit.
visit www.Dometi.net/Ghana or www.SankofaUS.com
Bishop Lance L. Davis received a call to Christian Ministry in 1991. He served faithfully under the leadership of Rev. Craig Melvin Smith at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago and then under Bishop Henry M. Williamson at Carter Temple C.M.E. Church in Chicago. In 1994 he was assigned by Bishop Doty I. Isom to serve as pastor of the J. Claude Allen C.M.E. Church (JCA) in Dixmoor, Illinois. Bishop Davis began his pastorate with a small congregation of 45 active members and an annual operating budget of $35,000. God, however, had greater plans for JCA. During Bishop Davis’ tenure, the membership grew to approximately 1,000 with an annual operating budget of half a million dollars. Bishop Davis’ unwavering love and commitment to God, coupled with his business acumen, allowed the ministry of JCA to reach unimaginable horizons.
Bishop Davis launched an exemplary One Church One School program in the South Suburbs, starting at Rosa Parks Middle School in Dixmoor. His strong community focus led to the development of Boys to Men Breakfast Ministry and the Essence Ministry for Girls; which were ways for men and women to provide much needed guidance to the youth residing in the South Suburban communities. Bishop Davis also instituted a Rites of Passage summer program teaching youth the importance of living a life of integrity and Christian character as they transitioned into adulthood.
In 2003, Bishop Lance Davis established New Zion Christian Fellowship, now New Zion Covenant, in Dolton, Illinois. New Zion has served the Southern Cook County community for over a decade with a strong emphasis on the disciplines of worship, fellowship, discipleship, service and the mission of evangelism in the Body of Christ. Bishop Davis has mentored several pastors and ministry leaders and assisted with the establishment of many churches. In addition to these ministries, Bishop Davis is the founder and Executive Director of Building Our Own Community (BOOC), Inc. which is established in the United States and in Ghana, West Africa. Bishop Davis also established Sankofa Ventures Management, Inc., an international company operating in Ghana, West Africa to create job opportunities for men and women locally and abroad.
Bishop Davis is ordained by the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) and is a commissioned member of the Compassion, Mercy & Justice Ministry of the Central Conference of the ECC. His Pauline anointing allows him to work inside and outside of his ministerial calling. He is the cofounder of the African American Clergy Coalition and a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. His office walls are covered with various awards and plaques attesting to his tireless, extensive work in the local and global community. His more recent honors are from great organizations such as the Chicago Defender’s Pastors Solute, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the American Heart Association, and the Evangelical Covenant Church. He also was recognized as one of the Most Influential Black Pastors by Chicago’s Voice. Bishop Davis is married to the lovely Dr. Kara Davis and they have four beautiful children: Grace, Andrew, Lance Nathaniel and Natalie.
LaNiece is co-owner and Chief Operating Officer of Sankofa Ventures Management (SVM). SVM is a for profit corporation based in Chicago, IL. Sankofa US Travel Agency (a SVM subsidiary) offers specialized and targeted tours of Ghana, West Africa. Along with her partner Bishop
Lance Davis, Ms. Flagg has provided strategic engagement and support for SVM as well as guidance and coordination in the development of Ghana tours for over a decade.
Ms. Flagg utilizes her background in the chemical regulatory industry, faith-based community organizing and corporate management to provide unique and memorable experiences for travelers of the African diaspora. LaNiece taps into her own lived experience as an African American woman when arranging tours that many travelers refer to as “awe-inspiring” and “unforgettable.” Ms. Flagg has consults with travelers and travel agents from around the world to better inform her own best practices of providing that perfect touch to each Ghana visit. Flagg has created a niche in the travel industry by providing Sankofa US travelers with an exhilarating immersion experience that focuses on cultural historicity, Community engagement, personal reflection, and mission service opportunities.
Concurrently, Ms. Flagg serves as the Manager of Ministry Services for the Evangelical Covenant Church; an international Christian denomination consisting of over eight-hundred thousand members among nearly one thousand churches. In this role, Flagg organizes and manages the work of the denomination’s Develop Leaders Mission Priority. Flagg’s department oversees the care, discipline, and development of nearly 2,500 pastors.
Additionally, Flagg serves as a consultant for several industrial regulatory chemists in the State of Illinois. Her areas of expertise include but is not limited to Federal and State regulatory practices, as well as shipping, storing and distribution compliance standards. Ms. Flagg is an advisor to religious and corporate executives in the areas of strategic planning, as well as time and staff management. Flagg has designed specialized tours for over 500 travelers to Ghana and has led Sankofa US with grit, ingenuity and zeal. She has worked tireless in the field of tourism to provide travelers of the African diaspora with a better sense of self-identity and a more in-depth knowledge of their true beginnings and history.
Finally, Ms. Flagg serves as a bi-vocational minister and parent coach within the community where she resides. She is the treasurer for the African American Ministers Association and the Administrative Director for Building Our Own Community (BOOC, Inc.); a nonprofit organization that provides family advocacy services for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as well as youth development programs. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the African Diaspora Sixth Region Association of Illinois.
Ms. Flagg is a proud mother of four brilliant children and the wife of a supportive husband, Dorsey Flagg.
Due to the timing of this trip, it is best advised to get visa on arrival. the last day to select this assistance is April 20, 2023.
Depart from Chicago as Ghana, West Africa awaits you!
Most flights are overnight.