The Government of Ghana has warmly welcomed France’s landmark declaration to partner with Accra on reparatory justice for the transatlantic enslavement of Africans, describing the announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron as a historic and consequential step toward confronting one of the gravest crimes in human history.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the formal welcome in a press release dated May 23, 2026, from Accra, responding to Macron’s announcement made during an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of France’s law declaring slavery a crime against humanity.
Mahama Commends Macron’s Leadership
President John Mahama offered his personal commendation to President Macron, praising what the Ghanaian government described as “honest, open, conciliatory and exemplary leadership” on a matter that has divided the international community for decades. The endorsement from President Mahama who serves as the African Union Champion on Reparatory Justice carries particular weight, given Ghana’s central role in driving the global reparations agenda.
Ghana expressed strong enthusiasm for the proposed Ghana-France Scientific Commission to be established in Ghana, describing it as a concrete institutional mechanism for advancing shared research, historical reckoning, and policy development on the consequences of slavery. The government also confirmed that President Macron has accepted an invitation to address the Next Steps High-Level Conference on Reparatory Justice in Accra, scheduled for June 17 to 19, 2026 a summit that promises to be one of the most significant gatherings on reparations in recent memory.
The Code Noir and a Long-Overdue Reckoning
Among the most striking elements of France’s new posture is its stated intention to repeal the Code Noir the colonial-era slavery statutes that governed the treatment of enslaved Africans under French imperial rule and whose very existence has long been cited as evidence of the systematic, state-sanctioned nature of France’s participation in the slave trade.
Ghana welcomed France’s acknowledgment that these statutes are “incompatible with the values our countries profess today,” and accepted Macron’s call for honest engagement with this history. The Ghanaian government’s response was unambiguous: “Honest reckoning is the necessary foundation for everything that follows. We welcome France’s willingness to begin that work.”
The UN Resolution That Changed the Conversation
The diplomatic momentum underlying Friday’s announcement is directly linked to a landmark vote at the United Nations General Assembly on March 25, 2026, when member states adopted by 123 votes in favor a resolution recognizing the transatlantic enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity and calling upon member states to engage constructively on the question of reparatory justice.
That resolution, spearheaded by President Mahama in his capacity as AU Champion on Reparatory Justice, opened a new chapter in the international conversation on reparations one that is now seeing concrete diplomatic follow-through from European nations historically implicated in the slave trade. France’s declaration is being welcomed as a significant contribution to that unfolding process.
The Accra Summit: June 17–19, 2026
Ghana is hosting the Next Steps Summit on Reparations from June 17 to 19, 2026, designed to carry the conversation forward “from recognition toward shared understanding, partnership and concrete action.” The summit will convene heads of state, ministers, scholars, and civil society representatives from Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, and Europe.
Its stated aims are to deepen scholarly and institutional partnerships, develop frameworks for honest engagement between states, and advance the long work of sincere acknowledgement and redress in a manner grounded in good faith and rigor.
In a significant development, the Government of Ghana confirmed that an expanded French delegation has accepted the invitation to participate in the Accra Summit at a high level signaling that Paris is prepared to go beyond rhetoric and engage substantively in the multilateral reparations process.
A Broad Agenda, a Long Road
Ghana made clear that its engagement with France will span a comprehensive range of reparatory justice issues. These include formal apologies, guarantees of non-repetition, the return of artefacts, healing initiatives, financial compensation, the repeal of slavery laws, and what the government described as “boldly addressing the enduring consequences of slavery” a formulation that reflects the breadth and complexity of what genuine reparatory justice demands.
Beyond France, Ghana reaffirmed its readiness to engage bilaterally and multilaterally with every government, institution, and partner prepared to undertake what it called “this profound work in good faith.”
“The historic resolution of 25th March, 2026 carries the potential to mark a turning point in the international pursuit of justice for the descendants of the enslaved,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. “Realizing that potential will require sustained engagement, honest dialogue and shared commitment. Ghana invites all states of comparable history and all partners of comparable conviction, to join us in that Endeavour.”
A Moment Unlike Any Other
France’s willingness to partner with Ghana on reparatory justice backed by a commitment to repeal the Code Noir, establish a joint scientific commission, and send a high-level delegation to the Accra Summit represents a qualitative shift in how a major European power is engaging with the legacy of slavery.
For Ghana, which has long positioned itself as the spiritual and diplomatic home of the African diaspora and the reparations movement, the moment is one of profound vindication. The question that now hangs over the Accra Summit in June is whether this partnership will produce the durable, enforceable commitments that the descendants of the enslaved have demanded for generations or whether it will remain, like so many promises before it, a declaration without delivery.
Accra is watching. Africa is watching. And the world, for once, may finally be listening.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ghana. Press Release dated May 23, 2026.
Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.
International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP
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