President John Dramani Mahama has welcomed the UK Prime Minister’s declaration on reparatory justice and the Transatlantic enslavement with cautious optimism and appreciation.
He describes the acknowledgement as a watershed moment and a refreshing contribution to the growing international consensus on reparatory justice.
The President’s position is contained in a statement released today, Sunday, November 1, 2026, by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications.
The statement indicated the UK Prime Minister’s acknowledgement is a refreshing development, particularly considering the UK’s abstention during the vote on the Ghana-led UN Resolution.
According to President Mahama, he welcomes “with cautious optimism and appreciation, the UK Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of the horrific violation of human dignity inflicted by the Transatlantic Slave Trade, as well as the UK government’s openness to a formal apology and structured dialogue.”
He commended the statement for its “bold, reflective, conciliatory, and honest reckoning with the UK’s legacy of slavery and colonialism.”
President Mahama said the Prime Minister’s statement, following the landmark adoption of the Ghana-led UN Resolution declaring the Transatlantic slave trade and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity, is a refreshing development.
The resolution, championed by President Mahama as African Union Champion on Reparations and backed by the African Union and CARICOM, was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
It secured 123 votes in favour, three against; the United States, Israel and Argentina –and 52 abstentions, including the United Kingdom and members of the European Union.
Although General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, the text formally recognises the trafficking of enslaved Africans as among the most severe violations in human history and calls for dialogue on reparatory justice, including formal apologies, financial compensation, restitution of cultural artefacts and reforms to tackle systemic racism.
President Mahama noted Ghana speaks on the historic issue from a place of deep and enduring memory, noting that the country is home to the highest number of slave castles and forts in the world.
“Along our shores stand the silent monuments of our shared pain: the castles and dungeons of Cape Coast, Elmina, Christianborg, and many more, where millions of our people were stripped of their humanity, marched through the ‘Door of No Return,’ and shipped across the Atlantic into chattel bondage,” the statement quoted him as saying.
He said while an acknowledgement of the atrocities and a formal apology “cannot undo the profound injustices of the past, they signal a crucial departure from past denial and open the path toward genuine healing and repair.”
He commended Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband for “their moral leadership in recognising that confronting historical truth is not a sign of weakness, but an act of statesmanship and justice.”
Ghana hosts over 80 world leaders for high-level reparatory justice conference
