Mahama calls for British apology over slave trade
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on UG Diplomat
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama welcomed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s remarks on the transatlantic slave trade and reparatory justice, while calling on the United Kingdom to issue an official apology. He also called for structured dialogue with the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the African diaspora, according to a statement published on 1 November 2026.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama is calling for an official apology from the United Kingdom for the transatlantic slave trade and urging structured dialogue on reparations. In a statement published on Sunday, 1 November 2026, he welcomed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s openness to an apology and discussions, UG Diplomat reports.
Mahama proposes that the talks include the African Union, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the African diaspora and countries that took part in the trade. He lists five priorities: an official apology, tackling systemic racism and Afrophobia, targeted investment in education and health, the restitution of cultural heritage, and development partnerships.
The Ghanaian president, who is the African Union’s champion for reparations and chairs the Global Reparatory Justice Advisory Group, says the Accra commitments, CARICOM’s ten-point plan and African Union statements can serve as a basis for the discussions.
Mahama’s statement follows Andy Burnham’s position on a British apology for slavery, published on 31 October. The British prime minister had said he was open to a debate on the issue.
