At the United Nations, Ghana announced on Wednesday that it is garnering increasing support from Western nations in its long-standing campaign for reparations related to the nearly four-century trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that the initiative’s immediate priority is the restitution of looted cultural artifacts. He made these remarks during an event on reparatory justice, co-hosted by Ghana, Germany, and France on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Subsequent phases may encompass formal apologies, debt relief, and financial compensation, following a 19-point plan adopted by the African Union and the Caribbean Community Commission on Reparatory Justice at a conference held in Ghana in June.
In March, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing trans-Atlantic slavery as “the gravest crime against humanity,” which secured 123 votes in favor. Three countries—the US, Israel, and Argentina—voted against, while 52 others, including European Union member states and the UK, abstained.
Since the vote, numerous European nations have expressed their support, Ablakwa noted. He stated, “Virtually all the European countries that abstained have since reached out and affirmed their willingness to collaborate with us on this journey.”
The United Kingdom and Portugal have offered their support, and the United States has also expressed its willingness to engage with the Ghana-led initiative, Ablakwa added.
France, Germany, and the Netherlands have specifically pledged their willingness to repatriate stolen artifacts.
“Restitution is vital to this journey. These artifacts must be returned to the motherland,” the minister emphasized.
According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, approximately 12.5 million Africans were enslaved and transported across the Atlantic between the 16th and 19th centuries. They were transported to South America, the Caribbean, and North America to provide labor on plantations and in mines, generating vast wealth that fueled the development of Western powers while inflicting enduring economic and social harm.
The database indicates that Portugal and Britain were responsible for transporting more than 70 percent of all enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.