Ghana and Liberia keep fighting for slavery reparations estimated at $100 trillion but accept migrants deported from the US despite concerns over their treatment

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has renewed calls for justice over Africa's historical mistreatment, even as his government remains at the forefront of African countries accepting US deportees under arrangements criticised by human rights groups.

• Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has renewed calls for slavery reparations, despite Ghana's participation in US deportation arrangements.
• The African Union has cited a $100 trillion reparations estimate, while Ghana secured 123 votes for its March 2026 UN resolution on slavery.
• Ghana and Liberia have agreed to receive US deportees, while other African countries have secured millions of dollars in financial commitments under similar arrangements.
• Human Rights Watch documented 536 third-country deportations to Africa, while Nigeria, Burkina Faso and South Africa have opposed similar US requests.

Speaking at a parliamentary meeting in London on October 22, 2026, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama urged Western governments to acknowledge slavery and colonial injustices, apologise and pursue reparatory justice.

“We are not here seeking the taxpayers’ cheque book. We call for acknowledgement, apology and the next steps for justice, peace and international understanding,” Mahama said.

His remarks contrast with Ghana's cooperation with Washington's controversial deportation programme, under which it has agreed to receive migrants from other countries, despite similar requests being rejected by some African governments.

Ghana's reparations campaign and US deportation agreement

In March 2026, Ghana sponsored a United Nations resolution declaring the transatlantic enslavement of Africans the gravest crime against humanity, securing 123 votes despite opposition from the United States, with which it separately cooperates on deportations.

The African Union's AU Echo 2025 publication cites Ghanaian political scientist Daniel T. Osabu-Kle's estimate of $100 trillion in compensation for slavery and colonial exploitation, although the figure does not represent an official demand.

Ghana has also engaged Western governments, including Germany and France, on historical accountability, debt relief and the return of African cultural artefacts.

However, in September 2025, Mahama confirmed Ghana's agreement to receive West African nationals deported from the United States, including non-Ghanaians, with the first group comprising 14 migrants, among them Nigerians and a Gambian national.

Human Rights Watch subsequently documented more than 100 transfers involving Ghana, although the government maintains that the arrangement is humanitarian and involves no financial compensation.

Liberia also backs reparations while accepting US deportees

Liberia has taken a similar position, supporting the African Union's reparations campaign while participating in Washington's deportation programme.

Addressing the African Union summit in February 2025, President Joseph Boakai called for justice over slavery and colonialism, declaring: "Liberia firmly believes in the importance of reparations as a critical first step toward addressing the lasting legacy and impacts of these historical injustices."

In August 2026, however, his government agreed to receive up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the United States over 12 months.

US records reviewed by The Washington Post identified a $5 million pledge to Liberia and a proposed $40 million arrangement that was not yet operational, although the government denied receiving direct payment for deportees while acknowledging US assistance.

Millions committed to African deportation agreements

The agreements extend across Africa, with Washington committing millions of dollars to governments and international organisations involved in receiving deportees.

According to The Washington Post, the United States had authorised or pledged at least $410 million for deportation arrangements involving 31 countries worldwide by June 2026, including $81 million in direct commitments to governments.

Eswatini's arrangement involved $5.1 million, while Rwanda and Equatorial Guinea secured commitments of $7.5 million each.

Uganda's agreement included $9 million pledged to organisations, Sierra Leone secured $1.5 million, and Burundi's commitments totalled $12 million in government and organisational funding.

Other participating countries include Cameroon, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, although not all financial terms have been disclosed.

Notably, all four also voted in favour of Ghana's March 2026 UN resolution on slavery and reparatory justice.

More than 500 migrants deported to African countries

An October 2026 Human Rights Watch investigation found that the US transferred 536 migrants to African countries other than their homelands between January 2025 and August 2026, more than five times the 103 recorded during a comparable earlier period.

The organisation also documented cases of detention, mistreatment and the return of migrants to countries where they risked persecution.

While Ghana, Liberia and several others have cooperated with Washington, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and South Africa have opposed requests to receive third-country deportees.

Nigeria's former Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar rejected pressure to accept Venezuelan deportees, saying the country had "enough problems of our own".

Similarly, Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré rejected the proposals, declaring that his country was "not a land of deportation".