By Hannah Dadzie
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has assured the international community that Ghana’s call for reparative justice is not a hostile act and will not undermine the country’s diplomatic relations.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Diaspora Summit 2025 in Accra, the Minister said Ghana remains committed to friendly and cordial relations with all international partners, even as it firmly presses for the return of stolen African artefacts and compensation for historical injustices.
Mr Ablakwa rejected claims that the reparations agenda signals confrontation, stressing that Ghana is “not at war” with any country.
He said: “We will maintain friendly and cordial relations with all our international partners. That has to be our purpose. We are not at war. Let’s look at it this way. The same way our friends in the international community are able to give us deadlines on the debts they say we owe them, and they impose sanctions where we don’t pay.”
He explained that the push for reparations is rooted in truth, healing and closure, adding: “We do not intend to undermine our friendly and cordial relations. We rather seek to enhance that because it is they who brought us Christianity and they who taught us that you are in better standing when you seek forgiveness. And you are always in better standing and have a higher chance of making it to heaven when you restitute. Restitution is a Christian doctrine.”
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to diplomacy, dialogue and cooperation, noting that the country’s foreign policy will continue to promote peace while advancing justice for Africans and people of African descent.
