A high-level diplomatic encounter in Paris may have quietly shifted the tone of Europe’s conversation on slavery reparations, with Ghana signalling that France is willing to engage in formal discussions on the issue — a significant development given that Paris only recently abstained from a landmark United Nations resolution on the matter.
Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa disclosed on X that French President Emmanuel Macron, during talks held last Wednesday, expressed willingness to enter into an “open and honest dialogue” on reparations for transatlantic slavery. According to Ablakwa, this openness extends to the return of looted artefacts, tackling global economic inequities, and dismantling structural racism.
President John Dramani Mahama led the Ghanaian delegation, which also included Ablakwa and other senior officials, for the face-to-face meeting at the Élysée Palace. A French presidential official confirmed the two sides discussed efforts to return culturally significant objects and human remains, along with the legal frameworks governing such restitutions, though the official made no reference to the broader measures Ablakwa highlighted.
The talks came on the heels of the United Nations adopting a Ghana-sponsored resolution last month that described transatlantic slavery as the “gravest crime against humanity” and called for reparatory measures. France was among several European nations that chose to abstain, with Paris explaining that the resolution seemed to “establish a hierarchy among crimes against humanity.” The apparent contradiction between that abstention and Macron’s privately expressed openness to dialogue has drawn attention to the complexity of France’s position on the issue.
France is not without some historical acknowledgment on the matter. In 2001, it became one of the first nations to legally recognise transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity. Yet, like the majority of European states, it has stopped well short of a formal apology or any commitment to reparations. Last year, Macron announced plans to establish a commission to examine France’s historical relationship with Haiti — a country that was forced to pay Paris billions in compensation after winning its independence, a debt that took over a century to repay.
The scale of the transatlantic slave trade underscores why the reparations debate carries such weight. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported, predominantly by European vessels, and sold into slavery. France alone was responsible for trafficking an estimated 1.3 million people, according to the Slave Voyages database.
Ghana’s diplomatic push is part of a broader coalition effort pressing for accountability from nations historically involved in the slave trade. While calls for reparations have gathered considerable momentum globally — bolstered by growing civil society movements and renewed scholarly interest — they continue to face strong resistance. Critics maintain that contemporary governments cannot be held liable for injustices committed by their predecessors, and the debate remains deeply polarising across political lines in Europe and beyond.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah