'Ghana was the crime scene' - the country leading the demand for slavery reparations

In recent years, the global conversation surrounding the transatlantic slave trade has grown more forceful, demanding formal apologies, debt relief and financial compensation from nations and institutions that reaped the benefits of slavery. In March, the United Nations passed a resolution recognizing slavery as the greatest crime against humanity, though the United States voted against it and every European nation abstained.

Leading the charge for reparations is Ghana, which presented the UN resolution and hosted a summit on reparations in its capital, Accra, with delegates from around 80 countries.

Ghana is uniquely positioned to spearhead the reparations movement, as roughly 10-15% of the 12 million Africans forcibly removed during the slave trade originated from the country. As Foreign Minister Samuel Okuzeto Ablakwa explains, Ghana holds special responsibility from the African Union to champion reparatory justice. The minister advocates for a system of reparatory justice that funds educational grants, venture capital for young African entrepreneurs, and research into health issues potentially linked to enslavement.

While Ghana insists this is not about direct financial gain for leaders, the summit's demands included debt relief and debt cancellation, as well as holding individual institutions accountable for benefiting from the slave trade. The Church of England, which profited from slave trade investments, has established a £100m social impact fund to benefit affected communities, though resistance exists within the Church.

King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, leader of Ghana's Ga people, recently publicly apologized for his ancestors' involvement in the slave trade, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging the past for healing and reconciliation.