Ghana and the United Kingdom are making significant strides towards establishing a landmark structured dialogue on reparatory justice, following high-level bilateral talks held on the margins of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, met with the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband MP, to review progress and lay the groundwork for the initiative.
Both ministers welcomed the headway made so far and discussed arrangements for appointing African and Caribbean co-chairs for the proposed dialogue. Ghana has already secured consensus within the African Union (AU) to take up the African co-chair position.
The proposed twelve-month process is expected to delve into substantive issues including historical justice, education, cultural restitution, climate justice, debt sustainability, and reforms to the international financial architecture. Both sides expressed a firm commitment to finalising the operational parameters and modalities of the dialogue before the end of 2026.
Discussions between the two envoys also extended to the future of Asante cultural artefacts currently held by the British Museum, alongside bilateral security cooperation and outstanding concerns regarding the UK’s International English Language Testing System (IELTS) requirements for Ghanaians.
The bilateral engagement comes on the back of the monumental impact of the Ghana-led United Nations resolution which officially declared transatlantic enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity.
Hon. Ablakwa commended recent political developments in London following UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s historic announcement expressing openness to a formal apology and a structured good-faith dialogue on reparatory justice, acknowledging Britain’s dark legacy in the transatlantic trade.
Describing the posture of the British leadership as a display of admirable courage and moral fortitude, the Foreign Minister noted that posterities will remember those who choose accountability over avoidance. He reaffirmed that Ghana, alongside its regional partners in the AU and CARICOM, remains fully prepared to partner with the UK on a journey aimed at achieving genuine reconciliation, restitution, and global equity.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana