President John Dramani Mahama addressed a United Nations General Assembly side event, urging European governments to move beyond isolated acts of restitution and establish a comprehensive international system for returning African cultural heritage.
He thanked the Netherlands for cataloguing 2,000 Ghanaian artefacts earmarked for possible return and acknowledged Germany’s engagement with Ghana’s Kpando traditional area. Mahama also praised France’s legislative initiatives on restitution and highlighted the return of the Djidji Ayokwe talking drum to Côte d’Ivoire as a notable development.
“We thank the Netherlands for cataloguing 2,000 Ghanaian artefacts for return,” Mahama said, adding that “moral justice cannot rely on piecemeal generosity or isolated acts of goodwill.” He called for standardised mechanisms that would allow provenance research, negotiations and restitution to be conducted more efficiently.
Ultimately, the former president argued that an international framework should make the return of African cultural property a predictable process rather than an exceptional event. The call comes as several European countries continue to review and return items seized during the colonial era.
