Ghanaian president John Mahama has said that the call for payment of reparations for slave trade is not limited to direct cash payments but also includes other interventions meant to correct the harm caused by slavery.
Mahama specifically cited investments in education, health, economic growth and debt treatment as interventions that could be considered as reparations to redress historical wrongs.
In March, the United Nations adopted a historic resolution that declared the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest crime against humanity”.
While non-binding, the resolution- pushed for by Mahama – goes beyond simple acknowledgement and asks nations involved in the slave trade to engage in “restitution” and “compensation”.
The adoption of the UN resolution marked the strongest endorsement yet by the international community of the case for reparations, garnering the support of 123 UN member states.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he was open to saying sorry but ruled out paying financial reparations demanded by some Caribbean countries.
Burnham used his appearance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda to hold discussions about issuing a formal apology for Britain’s role in slavery, which saw about 10-15 million slaves brought from Africa to the Americas over four centuries.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said it is “not feasible” for the country to pay reparations for slavery, but that “there are things we can work on co-operatively”.
Mahama has since announced the creation of three working panels to explore practical pathways to reparatory justice.