President John Dramani Mahama has welcomed with cautious optimism and appreciation the UK Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of the horrific violation of human dignity inflicted by the Transatlantic Slave Trade, as well as the UK government’s openness to a formal apology and structured dialogue.
In a statement issued on 1st November 2026, President Mahama, speaking as African Union Champion on Reparations and Chair of the Global Advisory Panel on Reparatory Justice, commended the statement for its bold, reflective, conciliatory and honest reckoning with the UK’s legacy of slavery and colonialism.
He noted that the Prime Minister’s statement, following the landmark adoption of the Ghana-led UN Resolution declaring the Transatlantic slave trade and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity, is a refreshing development, particularly considering the UK’s abstention during the vote.
President Mahama described the moment as a watershed and a refreshing contribution to the growing international consensus on reparatory justice.
Ghana, he said, speaks on this historic issue from a place of deep and enduring memory. The country is home to the highest number of slave castles and forts in the world. Along its shores stand the silent monuments of shared pain, including the castles and dungeons of Cape Coast, Elmina, Christianborg and many more, where millions of Africans were stripped of their humanity, marched through the “Door of No Return” and shipped across the Atlantic into chattel bondage.
While an acknowledgement of the atrocities and a formal apology for the grave mistreatment of the millions affected cannot undo the profound injustices of the past, they signal a crucial departure from past denial and open the path toward genuine healing and repair.
Ghana aligns itself fully with all AU Member States and stands in firm and complete solidarity with the Government and people of the wider CARICOM community, as well as with brothers and sisters in the Americas.
The President endorsed the call for a structured, good-faith dialogue involving the African Union, CARICOM, the African diaspora and the countries that were part of the system of chattel enslavement. He recognised that perspectives on reparatory justice may not be identical and that there are areas of strong disagreement, but stressed that such differences must not deter the shared objective.
With good-faith dialogue and the right political will, he said, a common objective of healing and repair can be achieved. Dialogue must encompass reparatory justice within the context of a formal apology, a coordinated international commitment to dismantle systemic racism and Afrophobia, targeted investments in education, science, youth empowerment, climate resilience and healthcare, the restitution of stolen cultural heritage, and strategic development partnerships to address structural poverty and rectify the inequitable global economic and debt architectures that continue to constrain developing nations, as highlighted by both the Accra Reset and the Bridgetown Initiative.
The Accra Next Steps Commitments, the CARICOM Ten Point Plan and the African Union’s declarations on reparatory justice provide a clear and principled framework for these discussions.
The Government of Ghana commended Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband for their moral leadership in recognising that confronting historical truth is not a sign of weakness, but an act of statesmanship and justice.
As the shared path begins, Ghana stands resolute. The country has waited too long for this day. President Mahama expressed the hope that the current generation of leaders will be remembered for the courage to confront the past honestly and seek the healing and repair that will put this dark chapter of human history behind and guarantee non-repetition.
Ghana is ready to walk this road in full partnership with the African Union, CARICOM, members of the global coalition and the United Kingdom to achieve lasting justice, genuine reconciliation, true healing and the creation of a new world without racism and discrimination.
