Mahama calls for return of African cultural heritage at UN side event
Story by: Regina Bless
President John Dramani Mahama has described the campaign for the return and restitution of African cultural properties and heritage as an “unfinished journey toward justice.”
The President made the remarks on September 23, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at a high-level side event on the Return and Restitution of Cultural Properties and Heritage, held in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
President Mahama said Africa’s history, memory and identity have, for generations, been separated from the communities that created them. He stressed that the restitution debate goes beyond objects displayed in museums, saying it is also about people, dignity and the preservation of cultural identity.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in his welcome remarks, acknowledged that reparatory justice is a complex and sensitive subject that requires honest and sometimes difficult discussions. He said the current generation has an opportunity to pursue reconciliation and build stronger trust between nations.
The Minister also commended Germany and France for co-hosting the event and welcomed the willingness of the United States to engage with the reparatory justice movement. He emphasised that Ghana’s initiative is intended to promote dialogue, healing and reconciliation rather than division.
Ghana’s Foreign Ministry has identified the restitution of cultural property and heritage as a key component of its broader reparatory justice framework. The Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice call for accelerated efforts to return cultural property, human remains, archives and heritage to countries of origin, while strengthening cultural restoration and preservation.
The New York event forms part of Ghana’s wider efforts to advance discussions on reparatory justice internationally, following the establishment of global advisory, cultural heritage and legal panels earlier in 2026.