Ghana, African countries were accomplices in slave trade - Manasseh argues

Manasseh Azure Awuni opposed on March 25, 2026, on social media, the call for reparations to African countries because of the transatlantic slave trade, which is being championed by Ghana's President, John Dramani Mahama. Manasseh Azure indicated that although he supports the declaration of slavery as the gravest crime against humanity, he does not support calls for reparations to African countries because of slavery. He contended that African countries played a key role in the transatlantic slave trade by selling their own people to slave masters.

Manasseh Azure added that if reparations are to be paid at all, then African countries must also be made to pay some because they too benefited from slavery. He said, "If reparations are to be paid, countries such as Ghana should also be required to pay them for their role in the slave trade. It will not be right to pay reparations to those who took part and benefited from the slave trade, even though the benefits and exploitation of the enslaved people were disproportional." He also said, "The descendants of the slaves in America, the Caribbean and elsewhere legitimately deserve reparations, but the African countries whose people captured and sold slaves are accomplices, not victims."

Manasseh Azure likened the demand for reparations to Ghana's fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey. He said that without the collaboration of Ghanaians, the Chinese illegal miners cannot destroy Ghana's water bodies or forest reserves. He said, "In 100 years, it will be untenable for Ghana to demand reparations from China for destroying our forests in the illegal mining scourge. Without tacit support in fronting for the Chinese illegal miners (sometimes providing state security protection), they would not have succeeded in destroying our forests." One source estimated that 90% of the slaves captured and shipped abroad were captured by Africans.