The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has addressed narratives that portray Africa as an equal participant in the transatlantic slave system.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, he noted that African involvement occurred under conditions shaped by coercion and unequal power relations.
“While there were instances of local intermediaries, they did not control or design the system. The trafficking of enslaved Africans was driven by external demand, financed through transcontinental networks and supported by legal systems developed outside the continent,” he said.
According to the minister, to describe the trafficking of enslaved Africans as a shared enterprise was to misrepresent the structure and responsibility of what was an organised system imposed on African people.
He reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to sustaining international engagement on historical justice.
“We will continue to work with member states and partners to advance the global conversation on equity and the full recognition of the historical experiences of Africans and people of African descent,” he said.
Mr Ablakwa expressed appreciation to regional and international partners, including the African Union, CARICOM, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, as well as to the 123 countries that supported the resolution.
Mr Ablakwa added that Ghana would continue to engage all countries, including those that abstained or voted against the resolution.
“We will sustain the momentum and work with all partners to dismantle structures of discrimination and racism,” he said.
He described the adoption of the resolution as the beginning of a longer process.
The minister said it was only the beginning of the journey towards reparatory justice and the affirmation that all people are equal.
Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran, ISD
