Countries pushing for reparations for slavery have hailed a milestone after adopting a shared roadmap for reparatory justice at a global summit in Ghana. Participants said the conference had given new momentum to their fight on both sides of the Atlantic.
Issued on: 20/06/2026 - 12:19
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The three-day summit at Osu Castle in Accra, which ended on Friday, brought together African countries and descendants of enslaved people in the Caribbean, as well as other international allies. It produced a 19-point plan laying out joint demands for justice, including formal apologies from nations that benefited from the slave trade as well as debt relief, financial compensation and the restitution of cultural property. "We are putting an end to fragmentation," said Ghana's foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. "From now on, we are presenting a united front." Concrete steps The "Accra Next Steps Commitments" include the establishment of a global reparations fund, comprehensive debt relief for countries affected by enslavement and reforms to international financial institutions to ensure fairer representation. They call on countries involved in the slave trade to offer "full, formal and unconditional apologies". The plan also pushes for the restitution of looted cultural property and ancestral remains, climate justice financing and steps to address the impact of slavery specifically on African women and girls. It urges African countries to grant the right of return and citizenship pathways for members of the diaspora, and to commit to preserving coastal forts used to confine enslaved people before they were shipped overseas. Ghana summit charts path from 'recognition to action' on slavery reparations
