Leaders from across Africa and the Caribbean have united in a powerful call for a formal apology from former colonial powers for the centuries-long transatlantic slave trade. The demand, issued at the close of a two-day summit in Accra, Ghana, marks a significant escalation in the global reckoning with historical injustices.
The joint declaration, signed by representatives of 33 nations, calls on Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and other nations to issue a clear, unequivocal apology for their role in the enslavement of an estimated 12.5 million Africans over more than 400 years. It also demands reparatory justice, including debt cancellation, financial compensation, and the return of looted artefacts.
“This is not about guilt,” said Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo in his opening address. “It is about truth. It is about healing. The transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity, and its legacies of poverty, inequality and racial discrimination continue to haunt our people today.”
The summit, formally titled the African Caribbean Reparations Summit, brought together heads of state, civil society groups and activists. It followed years of growing momentum behind the reparations movement. Earlier this year, a UN report called for a comprehensive programme of reparatory justice, and a number of Caribbean nations have taken legal steps to pursue compensation.
For many, the demand for an apology is deeply personal. “My ancestors were taken from the Gold Coast and sold into bondage in Jamaica,” said Delroy Williams, a Jamaican historian attending the summit. “An apology would acknowledge that what happened was wrong. It would be a first step towards making amends. But we need more than words. We need action.”
Britain, which abolished the slave trade in 1807 and slavery itself in 1834, has consistently stopped short of a full apology, though it has expressed regret. The Royal Family has faced scrutiny over historical links to the slave trade, and earlier this year, King Charles expressed “sorrow” for the suffering caused but did not apologise.
European leaders have largely resisted demands for reparations, arguing that they cannot be held responsible for the actions of their ancestors. But campaigners point out that the economic benefits of slavery were immense, funding the Industrial Revolution and building many of the world’s great cities, including London, Liverpool and Bristol.
“The prosperity of the West was built on the backs of enslaved Africans,” said Professor Kehinde Andrews, a leading scholar of Black Studies at Birmingham City University. “It is morally and economically just that compensation is paid. The lies of empire have been exposed. The truth must be told.”
The summit’s final communique also called for the creation of a permanent tribunal to examine historical atrocities and a global fund for development projects in affected communities. It urged the United Nations to establish a decade dedicated to reparatory justice.
But the road ahead is long. No major European government has responded formally to the latest demands. A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said: “The UK deeply regrets the suffering caused by the slave trade. We are committed to tackling the inequalities that persist today and to building partnerships with African and Caribbean nations based on mutual respect and cooperation.”
For many here, that is not enough. “Regret is not apology. Regret is not justice,” said Akufo-Addo. “We will continue to raise our voices until our demands are met. The world must listen.”
The summit concluded with a minute’s silence for the ancestors, followed by a powerful traditional ceremony invoking the spirits of those lost. The next meeting is scheduled for Caracas, Venezuela, later this year.
As the delegates departed, there was a sense of history in the making. Whether or not the demand for a formal apology succeeds, the call for reparations will not be silenced. For millions across the African diaspora, the fight for justice is far from over.
