Ghana has endorsed calls for structured and good-faith dialogue involving the African Union (AU), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the African diaspora and countries involved in the transatlantic slave trade and chattel enslavement.
The country said although it differed with some of its partners on aspects of reparatory justice, such differences should not undermine their shared pursuit of justice.
“With good-faith dialogue and the right political will, we can achieve a common objective of healing and repair,” the government said in a statement signed by the Minister of Government Communications, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
The statement follows the United Kingdom’s indication of its readiness to engage in discussions on calls for an official state apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, described as one of the gravest crimes against humanity.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Andy Burnham, said in an article published in The Guardian that although the UK was prepared for “dialogue with those affected”, he ruled out financial reparations.
However, President John Dramani Mahama, in the statement issued through Mr Ofosu, said the dialogue must go beyond an apology to encompass broader demands for reparatory justice.
These, he said, should include a coordinated international commitment to dismantling systemic racism and Afrophobia, targeted investments in education, science, youth empowerment, climate resilience and healthcare, as well as the restitution of stolen cultural heritage.
President Mahama said the Accra Next Steps Commitments, CARICOM’s Ten Point Plan and the African Union’s declarations on reparatory justice provided a clear and principled framework for the discussions. Read More
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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