Ghana: Ghana Backs Jamaica's Petition to Push UK for Slavery Reparations

What the report says

Ghana has publicly backed Jamaica’s plan to press the United Kingdom for slavery reparations, adding momentum to a wider campaign for reparatory justice tied to the transatlantic slave trade. According to Radio France Internationale, which reported the story via AllAfrica, the show of support came after Ghanaian President John Mahama visited Jamaica and said Ghana fully supports Kingston’s petition to King Charles III.

Jamaica is preparing to present the petition in early September. The proposed appeal would ask the king, who is head of state of both countries, to refer legal questions to the Privy Council about whether the forced transport of Africans to Jamaica was lawful, whether it amounted to a crime against humanity, and whether the United Kingdom has an obligation to provide restitution. Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange said the government was moving ahead with what she described as the next step in the reparations effort.

Mahama, who also leads the African Union’s reparations campaign, said the issue is now less about whether historical injustice happened and more about how its consequences should be addressed. He has framed reparations as a practical process, not only a moral one. Jamaica’s effort has support from the Caribbean Community, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said reparations should include more than money, pointing to acknowledgement, institutional change, cultural returns and development support.

The article places the move in a broader international context, noting that African and Caribbean leaders have recently coordinated demands and that some European governments and institutions have shown limited openness to discussion or restitution-related steps.