Africa calls for an action plan on slavery reparations at Ghana conference

Advocates have long called for reparations or other amends for slavery, and the movement has recently gained momentum worldwide, fueled by growing support from African and Caribbean countries.

“No amount of money can restore the damage caused by the transatlantic slave trade … But surely, this is a matter that the world must confront and can no longer ignore,” Akufo-Addo said, launching the four-day reparations conference in the Ghanaian capital Accra.

According to Reuters, the event is expected to generate an African-led action plan advocating for reparatory justice, establish an African committee of experts to oversee the plan’s implementation and enhance collaboration with the broader diaspora, as outlined in a list of anticipated outcomes on its website.

“The entire period of slavery meant that our progress, economically, culturally, and psychologically, was stifled. There are legions of stories of families who were torn apart,” Akufo-Addo said. “You cannot quantify the effects of such tragedies, but they need to be recognised.”

From the 15th to the 19th century, a staggering 12.5 million Africans were forcibly kidnapped, transported on European ships, and sold into slavery.

Those who survived the harrowing voyage were subjected to inhumane conditions on plantations in the Americas, primarily in Brazil and the Caribbean, where their labour was exploited for the benefit of European settlers and others.

In September, a United Nations report said that countries could explore financial payments and other forms of compensation in addressing historical injustices like slavery.

However, it cautioned that legal claims are complicated by the passage of time and the challenges in identifying both perpetrators and victims.

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Akufo-Addo said he welcomed what he called an unequivocal call from Caribbean nations for reparations.

“We in Africa must work together with them to advance the cause,” he said to applause from the audience that included other African and Caribbean heads of state and other high-level delegates.