Mahama welcomes UK’s openness to issuing apology for transatlantic slave trade

President John Dramani Mahama has welcomed what he describes as the UK government’s openness to a formal apology and structured dialogue over the transatlantic slave trade, describing the development as a potential turning point in the global campaign for reparatory justice.

In a statement issued on November 1, 2026, Mr Mahama said he received with “cautious optimism and appreciation” UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s acknowledgement of the grave violations of human dignity inflicted by the transatlantic slave trade.

The President, who is the African Union Champion on Reparations and Chair of the Global Advisory Panel on Reparatory Justice, commended the statement as a “bold, reflective, conciliatory, and honest reckoning” with the United Kingdom’s history of slavery and colonialism.

He said the development was particularly significant because it followed the adoption of a Ghana-led United Nations resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans the gravest crime against humanity, despite the UK’s abstention during the vote.

Mr Mahama described the UK Prime Minister’s position as a watershed moment and a contribution to the growing international consensus on reparatory justice.

He said Ghana’s position on the issue was shaped by its historical experience, pointing to the slave castles and forts along the country’s coast, including those at Cape Coast, Elmina and Christianborg, where millions of Africans were held before being transported across the Atlantic into slavery.

According to him, while acknowledging the atrocities and issuing a formal apology cannot reverse the injustices suffered by millions, such actions would mark a departure from denial and create an opportunity for healing and meaningful reparations.

The President reaffirmed Ghana’s solidarity with African Union member states, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and people of African descent in the Americas, while endorsing calls for structured, good-faith dialogue involving the African Union, CARICOM, the African diaspora and countries involved in the system of chattel enslavement.

He acknowledged that the parties might hold differing views on reparatory justice but said such disagreements should not undermine their shared objective of achieving healing and repair.

Mr Mahama said discussions should cover a range of measures, including a formal apology, coordinated international action to dismantle systemic racism and Afrophobia, and targeted investments in education, science, youth empowerment, climate resilience and healthcare.

He also identified the restitution of stolen cultural heritage and strategic development partnerships to address structural poverty and inequalities in the global economic and debt systems as key areas for consideration.

The President cited the Accra Next Steps Commitments, CARICOM’s Ten Point Plan and the African Union’s declarations on reparatory justice as frameworks to guide the proposed discussions.

He commended Prime Minister Burnham and UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband for what he described as their moral leadership, arguing that confronting historical injustices was an act of statesmanship rather than weakness.

Mr Mahama said Ghana was ready to work with the African Union, CARICOM, its international partners and the United Kingdom towards lasting justice, reconciliation and a future free from racism and discrimination.

“We have waited too long for this day; let our generation of leaders be remembered for our courage to confront the past honestly and seek the healing and repair,” he said.