Keypoints:
- Mahama says slavery’s damage continues
- Holness says repair goes beyond money
- Ghana and Jamaica coordinate global action
PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama has used his state visit to Jamaica to intensify demands for slavery reparations, arguing that the transatlantic trafficking and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans continue to shape inequality long after abolition.
His intervention places Ghana and Jamaica at the centre of a coordinated Africa-Caribbean campaign seeking more than symbolic recognition. The movement is pressing for formal apologies, compensation, cultural restitution, institutional reform and measures addressing slavery’s continuing consequences.
Mahama says history still shapes inequality
Addressing Jamaica’s Parliament on August 4, 2026, Mahama described the transatlantic slave trade and racialised chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity.
‘History cannot be changed, but it can be acknowledged,’ Mahama said.
He said recognising the past was necessary to build a future based on justice, dignity and mutual respect. The consequences of slavery, he argued, remain visible in racial inequality, uneven development and wealth accumulated through forced African labour.
The remarks followed a high-level reparations dialogue at The University of the West Indies with Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles.
Holness says repair is more than money
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness backed the campaign but cautioned against measuring reparations solely through financial settlements.
‘No amount of funds can restore the damage caused by slavery,’ Holness said during a joint media briefing with Mahama.
‘Reparation, it’s not only about or primarily about money return, Holness added.
He said meaningful repair should include restored dignity, institutional reform, the return of cultural artefacts and greater investment in education, healthcare and social infrastructure.
Jamaica plans to submit a petition to King Charles III on September 6, asking him to refer legal questions concerning slavery reparations to the Privy Council.
UN vote strengthens campaign
The visit followed the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of Resolution 80/250 on March 25, 2026.
Championed by Ghana, the resolution declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement the gravest crime against humanity. It passed by 123 votes to three, with 52 abstentions.
The non-binding UN resolution calls on states to enter good-faith dialogue on reparatory justice. It lists possible remedies including formal apology, restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition.
It also supports the prompt return, without charge, of cultural property, artefacts, manuscripts, documents and national archives of value to their countries of origin.
Africa Briefing previously reported that Ghana’s UN victory shifted the reparations debate towards structured international engagement.
Ghana builds machinery for action
At Ghana’s reparations conference in June, Mahama announced a global advisory panel, an expert panel on cultural artefacts and a legal panel on reparatory justice.
‘We do not seek to reopen old wounds. We seek to heal those wounds,’ Mahama said in remarks published by Ghana’s Presidency.
Jamaica’s government said Holness had accepted an invitation to serve on a high-level global advisory body supporting the reparatory justice campaign.
The initiative complements the global reparations panels established by Ghana and Africa-Caribbean roadmap advanced in Accra.
What happens next?
The central test is whether former slave-trading states, businesses and institutions will enter negotiations over specific remedies.
For Ghana and Jamaica, the strategy combines diplomatic pressure, legal research, cultural restitution and development demands. Their challenge is converting moral recognition into commitments that can be financed, implemented and independently monitored.
Mahama’s visit and Holness’s intervention signal that Africa and the Caribbean intend to keep reparations on the global policy agenda.
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