African and Caribbean Leaders Demand Apologies for Slavery Injustices

WHO:

ABC News - African and Caribbean leaders

ABC News - Ghana President John Dramani Mahama

BBC - US ambassador to the UN

WHAT:

ABC News - Leaders urged former slave-trading nations to issue apologies and reparations for the trafficking of enslaved Africans.

ABC News - The “Next Steps” conference in Accra issued a declaration calling for “full, formal and unconditional apologies” from countries involved in the Atlantic slave trade.

ABC News - About 12 million Africans were forcefully taken by traders from European nations from the 16th to the 19th century and enslaved on plantations.

ABC News - A reparations summit in Ghana in 2023 proposed establishing a Global Reparation Fund.

WHERE:

ABC News - The conference took place in Accra, Ghana.

ABC News - Delegates from more than 80 countries attended the conference.

WHEN:

ABC News - The U.N. resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity” was passed in March.

ABC News - The reparations summit in Ghana occurred in 2023.

WHY:

ABC News - The leaders are seeking apologies and reparations as a foundational step towards reconciliation, trust-building, and reparatory justice.

ABC News - Ghana President Mahama stated that the effects of slavery continue to be felt across Africa, the Caribbean, and the wider African diaspora.

HOW:

BBC - The U.N. resolution is non-binding but carries moral authority, aimed at moving the reparations debate from recognition to concrete measures.

(UPDATED June 20, 2026 08:07 UTC)

Leaders from Africa and the Caribbean, including Ghana President John Dramani Mahama, gathered in Accra to urge former slave-trading nations to issue formal apologies and reparations for the trafficking of enslaved Africans. The conference, attended by delegates from over 80 countries, resulted in a declaration calling for "full, formal and unconditional apologies" and followed a reparations summit in Ghana that proposed establishing a Global Reparation Fund. President Mahama emphasized that the lingering effects of slavery continue to impact communities across Africa, the Caribbean, and the wider African diaspora, highlighting the need for reconciliation and reparatory justice.