Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says the Netherlands and Germany have pledged to return more than 2,000 artifacts looted from Ghana, following the adoption of a landmark United Nations resolution on reparatory justice.
Speaking ahead of President John Dramani Mahama’s engagement at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ablakwa said the commitments form part of growing international support for Ghana’s reparatory justice campaign.
He said the developments follow the March 25, 2026, adoption of a Ghana-led resolution by UN member states, which he said declared the transatlantic enslavement of Africans the gravest crime against humanity.
“You will recall that in March this year, specifically on the 25th of March, history was made when the United Nations member states voted overwhelmingly to endorse the Ghana-led resolution which declared the transatlantic enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity,” Ablakwa said.
According to him, President Mahama subsequently convened the Next Steps Conference in Accra, where major pledges were made towards advancing the reparatory justice agenda.
Ablakwa said the resolution has also encouraged broader international cooperation, including from countries that either abstained from or voted against it.
“Since the landmark UN resolution, we are seeing a lot of global coalition, even the countries that abstained from the vote and those who voted against, the three that voted against. We are seeing one of the countries that voted against come on board,” he said.
Highlighting the commitments from Europe, Ablakwa said the Netherlands and Germany have pledged to return more than 2,000 artifacts to Ghana.
“Since the adoption of the landmark UN resolution, the Netherlands and Germany have pledged to return over 2,000 artifacts that were looted from Ghana,” he said.
He also disclosed that Denmark has pledged resources to support the restoration of Ghana’s castles and forts.
“Denmark has pledged resources to restore our castles and forts, and that is significant because it will help in remembrance, in truth-telling, and in making sure that humanity never again repeats that dark era of our history,” Ablakwa said.
The Minister said these developments demonstrate the international engagements that have followed the UN resolution as Ghana continues to push its reparatory justice agenda.
President Mahama is participating in the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, with reparatory justice among the issues Ghana is seeking to advance during the high-level meetings.
