Ghana has established three new international panels on reparatory justice, cultural restitution and legal redress as President John Mahama seeks to move the global slavery reparations campaign from diplomatic recognition to implementation.
The announcement, made during the opening of the Next Step: High-Level Consultative Conference in Accra on June 18, represents the most significant institutional step since the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/80/250 in March following Ghana’s campaign for a UN vote on slavery reparations. Ghana now hopes to transform that diplomatic breakthrough into a practical international framework capable of advancing reparatory justice worldwide.
The issue has gained momentum in recent years as African and Caribbean governments have intensified calls for formal acknowledgement of slavery’s lasting economic and social consequences. At the same time, international debates over cultural restitution, historical accountability and the return of colonial-era artefacts have moved increasingly into mainstream diplomatic discussions.
Speaking before heads of state, government officials, scholars, legal experts and representatives of the African diaspora, Mahama said the global conversation must now shift from acknowledgement of historical injustices to concrete action.
Three new bodies to drive implementation
At the centre of the announcement was the creation of three international panels designed to support the next phase of the reparations movement.
The first, a Global Advisory Panel on Reparatory Justice, will bring together current and former heads of state, eminent international figures and policymakers to provide strategic direction and promote international cooperation.
The second, an Expert Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Artefacts, will focus on facilitating the return of cultural artefacts, archives, sacred objects and historical treasures removed from Africa and other affected communities.
The third, a Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice, will assemble jurists and legal scholars to examine potential legal avenues under international law, including restitution, institutional accountability and other forms of reparatory justice.
Together, the three bodies are intended to provide the political leadership, legal expertise and technical support that advocates say have been missing from previous reparations initiatives.
‘We must move from recognition to building the architecture for reparatory justice,’ Mahama told delegates.
He stressed that the panels were not intended to replace governments, regional organisations or international institutions but rather to strengthen their work through technical expertise, policy guidance and legal analysis.
UN resolution enters new phase
The conference comes less than three months after the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/80/250 with the backing of 123 member states, marking a major diplomatic victory for Ghana and its partners.
Mahama described the vote as an important milestone but argued that the real challenge now lies in translating international recognition into measurable outcomes.
‘The responsibility now is to ensure that this recognition translates into meaningful and sustained action,’ he said.
According to the President, the consequences of slavery and racialised chattel enslavement continue to shape global inequalities, institutions and economic structures centuries after the practice formally ended.
‘History does not ask us to inherit guilt, but it asks us to inherit responsibility,’ he said.
That message formed a central theme of his address, with Mahama seeking to frame reparatory justice not as an exercise in assigning blame to present generations but as an effort to address enduring historical consequences.
Africa and Caribbean deepen cooperation
The Accra conference also highlighted growing cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean on reparations. The meeting builds on Africa-Caribbean coordination on reparations, which has increasingly transformed the issue from an advocacy campaign into a structured diplomatic initiative.
Mahama endorsed the African Union’s decision to establish an African-Caribbean Joint Mechanism on Reparative Justice and praised decades of advocacy by African governments, CARICOM member states, civil society organisations, legal experts and diaspora groups.
The African Union declared reparations a major continental priority in 2025 and appointed Mahama as the AU Champion on Reparations, placing Ghana at the forefront of efforts to coordinate Africa’s position on the issue. The move also aligns with the broader African Union campaign for reparations, which has gained momentum across the continent over the past year.
Caribbean nations have long pursued reparatory justice through the CARICOM Reparations Commission, which has advocated measures ranging from formal apologies and educational programmes to economic development initiatives and cultural restoration.
Mahama argued that because the slave trade connected Africa, the Caribbean, North America and South America through a shared history, any meaningful response must be similarly international in scope.
‘The search for justice must therefore be transcontinental in its ambition,’ he said.
Support grows but debate remains
The reparations movement has gained visibility in recent years, with religious institutions, universities and governments increasingly examining their historical links to slavery.
During his speech, Mahama welcomed engagement from institutions including the Vatican, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland, as well as comments from French President Emmanuel Macron on historical justice.
However, the issue remains politically sensitive. While support for reparatory justice has grown across Africa and the Caribbean, several Western governments continue to reject direct financial compensation, arguing that present-day states should not be held legally liable for actions committed centuries ago.
Mahama sought to address those concerns by emphasising responsibility rather than blame and by advocating dialogue, partnership and shared commitment to human dignity.
Cultural restitution gains momentum
One of the most significant practical elements of the initiative is the focus on cultural restitution.
Calls for the return of African artefacts held in museums and private collections across Europe and North America have intensified in recent years, with several governments and institutions beginning to review historical acquisitions. The debate has gathered pace as European governments consider new approaches to France’s proposed artefact return legislation and wider restitution efforts.
The newly announced expert panel will seek to support and accelerate those efforts by providing expertise and facilitating engagement between countries, museums, researchers and cultural institutions.
Observers view cultural restitution as one of the areas where tangible progress may be achievable in the near term, even as broader debates over reparations and compensation continue.
Credit: Africabriefing
