Emmanuel Macron has indicated that France is open to discussions on reparations for transatlantic slavery, according to Ghanaian officials following high-level talks in Paris last week.
John Dramani Mahama, accompanied by Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and other officials, met Macron on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues, including historical accountability and restitution.
Ablakwa said after the meeting that Macron expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with a coalition of countries advocating reparations. He said discussions could cover the return of looted cultural artefacts, efforts to address global economic inequalities, and measures to confront structural racism.
An official at the Élysée Palace confirmed that the talks included France’s ongoing efforts to return culturally significant objects and human remains, as well as the legal frameworks governing such restitutions. However, the official did not reference the broader proposals outlined by Ablakwa.
The meeting came weeks after the United Nations adopted a Ghana-led resolution recognising slavery as the “gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations. France, along with several European countries, abstained from the vote.
France’s representative to the UN said the abstention reflected concerns that the resolution risked creating a “hierarchy among crimes against humanity.”
Despite that stance, Ablakwa said Macron had committed to an “open and honest dialogue” on the issue.
France formally recognised transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity in 2001, but like most European nations, it has neither issued a formal apology nor committed to reparations.
Between the 15th and 19th centuries, at least 12.5 million Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic by European traders. France is estimated to have trafficked around 1.3 million people, according to historical databases.
Momentum for reparations has grown globally in recent years, though it has also sparked backlash, with critics arguing that modern states should not bear responsibility for historical injustices.