African and Caribbean nations demand formal apologies and debt relief for slavery at Ghana summit

UN resolution sets the stage

In March 2026 the UN General Assembly voted to recognise the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity”, with 123 countries in favour, three opposed (the United States, Israel and Argentina) and 52 abstentions, including the United Kingdom and European Union member states. The non‑binding resolution urged member states to contribute to a reparations fund. Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama had championed the text, and organisers say it gave the reparations movement “unprecedented momentum”.

“We won the battle against slavery, we won the battle against colonialism, we won the battle against apartheid, and we are confident that we shall win the battle against reparatory injustice.”

The resolution was the first of its kind at the UN, and the vote exposed deep divisions between former colonial powers and the Global South. The US ambassador argued that historical wrongs were “not illegal under international law at the time they occurred”, while the UK’s James Kariuki said “no single set of atrocities should be regarded as more or less significant than another”.

A framework adopted in Accra

Heads of state from Namibia, Liberia, Senegal, Barbados and São Tomé and Príncipe, among others, gathered in Accra from 17 to 19 June for the “Next Steps” conference. On the final day, they endorsed a reparations plan – described by different outlets as 18 or 19 points – drawn up by the African Union and the CARICOM Reparations Commission. The framework calls for comprehensive debt relief, the restitution of looted cultural property and ancestral remains, a global reparations fund, and measures addressing the disproportionate suffering of African women and girls during slavery. It also urges African nations to grant right of return and citizenship to people of African descent in the diaspora.

Ruth Ogbewekon, project lead on reparatory justice at the Pan African Lawyers Union, said the process was inclusive: representatives from Africa, the diaspora and non‑African allies were consulted over several weeks.

“Ultimately, it was a process where people wanted to be heard and to see that they were heard, and the events in Accra provided that.”

Apologies, debt and restitution

“Full, formal and unconditional apologies” from countries that once profited from the slave trade are a central demand. France’s President Emmanuel Macron addressed the gathering virtually, acknowledging that enslaved people were “dehumanised and treated as goods” but warning that reparations should not be reduced to a “cheque written to bring the story to a close”.

Ghana’s President Mahama struck a different tone, telling delegates:

“History does not ask us to inherit guilt, but it asks us to inherit responsibility.”

The debt‑relief plank of the framework seeks to address what participants described as enduring socioeconomic consequences of enslavement and colonialism, calling for restructuring and cancellation of sovereign debts for affected nations.

A ceremony at Osu Castle

The conference culminated in a Juneteenth ceremony at Osu Castle, a former slave fort built by Denmark and Norway in the 1660s. Organisers said it was the first time the US holiday had been marked outside the United States. The symbolism was deliberate: the castle held thousands of enslaved Africans before they were shipped to the Americas. Alongside the framework, three working groups were announced – one led by heads of state, one focused on restitution, and one examining the legal dimensions of reparations. Congolese foreign minister Constant Serge Bounda stressed that education and the restoration of former slave trade sites would be part of the process.

“Loango is one of those important sites that must be restored because it is part of our shared history.”

Looking ahead

While the framework has no legal force, organisers say it builds on the UN resolution to move from recognition to action. The abstentions and ‘no’ votes from major economies signal that the path to tangible compensation remains steep. Ghana’s foreign minister noted that the resolution’s broad backing has created a platform, but the next steps – particularly on debt relief and a global fund – will require negotiation with the very countries that have so far resisted the language of reparation.