Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin Questions Internal African Role in Slave Trade; Majority Leader Ayariga Insists on Fair Share of Wealth Built on Enslaved Labour

A heated debate erupted on the floor of Parliament on Friday as the Minority and Majority leadership clashed over Ghana’s push for reparatory justice for the Transatlantic Slave Trade and colonialism.

The exchange highlighted deep ideological differences on historical responsibility, economic justice, and how the nation should approach the global reparations campaign.

Minority Leader’s Position

Alexander Afenyo-Markin (MP for Effutu), the Minority Leader, cautioned against a one-sided narrative that places all blame on Western nations while ignoring the role of some indigenous Africans in the trade.

He argued that any honest conversation about compensation must acknowledge that some local people actively participated by capturing and selling fellow Africans to European traders.

“When somebody berths a vessel at Cape Coast, and you decide to go to the North, Bono area, get to the Ashanti area, and to the Assin area, and you are chasing your strongest among your own people, then after 100 years, you say, ‘I should be compensated’,” Afenyo-Markin stated.

While strongly condemning the inhumane treatment, humiliation, marginalisation, and abuse suffered by enslaved ancestors, he insisted the full historical context must be told.

“Who should compensate whom? We maltreated our own and told the whiteman that he should also maltreat our own. The story must be told and must be put in its proper context.”

Majority Leader’s Rebuttal

The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga (MP for Bawku Central), pushed back firmly, defending the moral and economic basis for reparations.

He argued that the vast wealth accumulated by many Western capitalist nations today can be directly traced to centuries of free, forced labour provided by enslaved Africans on plantations.

“Many of those countries that have wealth can trace their wealth to slavery. Many of the capitalist countries that have become rich started from plantations that were worked on by slaves. It is the labour of these slaves that helped them to build capital,” Ayariga said.

He maintained that the demand for reparations is fundamentally about fair distribution of that accumulated wealth, recognising the foundational contribution of enslaved Africans.

“As a result, there is the need to share that wealth in recognition of those who have been the foundation of the creation of that wealth.”

The parliamentary clash reflects ongoing discussions within the African Union and CARICOM, where leaders are pressing former colonial powers for formal apologies, return of cultural artefacts, and financial settlements.

It also comes as President John Dramani Mahama and Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa continue to champion the reparations agenda on the international stage, including at the United Nations.

Both sides of the House, however, agreed on the need to condemn the brutality of the slave trade while differing sharply on the question of modern-day responsibility and compensation.

The debate is likely to continue as Ghana plays a leading role in the global reparatory justice movement.

Source: Parliamentary proceedings, March 27, 2026