Mahama welcomes UK openness to slave trade apology

Home News Politics Business Opinion Showbiz Health Sport World eStore No Result View All Result No Result View All Result Home Featured Mahama welcomes UK openness to slave trade apology Mahama has welcomed the UK’s willingness to consider an apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade by The Custodian News November 1, 2026 in Featured, MAIN, News 0 President John Dramani Mahama

Share on Twitter President John Dramani Mahama has welcomed the United Kingdom’s openness to issuing a formal apology and engaging in structured dialogue over its historical role in the transatlantic slave trade.

In a statement released on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and signed by Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Mahama described the development as a significant step towards achieving reparatory justice for Africans and their descendants.

The President said he received the UK’s acknowledgement of the atrocities committed during the slave trade with “cautious optimism and appreciation”, adding that the willingness to consider a formal apology marked a departure from years of denial.

Mahama, who serves as the African Union Champion on Reparations and Chair of the Global Advisory Panel on Reparatory Justice, commended the UK leadership for what he described as an honest reckoning with the country’s history of slavery and colonialism.

He said the UK’s position was particularly significant because of its decision to abstain during the vote on the Ghana-led United Nations resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade and the racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.

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

The President also highlighted Ghana’s historical connection to the slave trade, pointing to the country’s numerous slave castles and forts, including the Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and Christiansborg Castle.

He said the sites remained painful reminders of the millions of Africans who were stripped of their humanity, held in dungeons and transported across the Atlantic through the infamous “Door of No Return” into chattel enslavement.

According to him, while acknowledging the atrocities and issuing a formal apology cannot reverse the injustices suffered by millions, such actions would mark an important step towards healing, reconciliation and redress.

President Mahama called for structured, good-faith dialogue involving the African Union (AU), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the African diaspora and countries that participated in the transatlantic slave trade.

He outlined five key areas that should form the basis of the discussions:

He said the proposed discussions should also draw on the Accra Reset and the Bridgetown Initiative to address economic inequalities and debt challenges that continue to constrain developing countries.

Mahama acknowledged that African countries, CARICOM and other stakeholders might hold differing views on aspects of reparatory justice, but insisted that such disagreements should not derail efforts to achieve a common objective.

He identified the Accra Next Steps Commitments, CARICOM’s Ten Point Plan and the African Union’s declarations on reparatory justice as important frameworks to guide the engagement.

Ghana reaffirms solidarity with Africa and CARICOM

The President reaffirmed Ghana’s solidarity with African Union member states, CARICOM and people of African descent across the Americas.

He also commended UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband for their willingness to confront Britain’s historical involvement in slavery and colonialism.

Mahama urged leaders of the current generation to demonstrate the courage to confront historical injustices and pursue meaningful solutions that would prevent their recurrence.

He stressed that Ghana was ready to work with the African Union, CARICOM, the United Kingdom and other members of the global coalition to achieve lasting justice, genuine reconciliation and a future free from racism and discrimination.

Burnham’s position, however, does not amount to a commitment to financial compensation. The UK Prime Minister has expressed openness to a formal state apology and structured dialogue but has rejected calls for financial reparations, arguing that people living today should not be held liable for historical wrongs in which they played no personal part.

Mahama said Ghana remained committed to the process, adding that the country had waited too long for meaningful progress on reparatory justice.

“Let our generation of leaders be remembered for our courage to confront the past honestly and seek the healing and repair that will put this dark chapter of human history behind us and guarantee non-repetition,” he said.

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