Mahama calls for return of Africa’s cultural heritage at UNGA 81 side event

President John Dramani Mahama has called for a decisive shift from acknowledging the loss of Africa’s cultural heritage to taking concrete steps to secure its return to the continent.

Speaking at a high-level side event on the return and restitution of cultural property and heritage on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Mahama said Africa’s cultural treasures should be regarded as more than museum objects.

He described the artefacts as living links to Africa’s history, identity and dignity.

The event, co-hosted by Ghana, France and Germany, focused on strengthening international cooperation on the restitution of African cultural property and establishing more permanent mechanisms to facilitate the return of heritage held outside the continent.

President Mahama outlined Ghana’s “Next Steps” agenda, which seeks to institutionalise restitution, strengthen Africa’s capacity to receive and preserve returning heritage, and promote cultural heritage as a contributor to education, tourism, national identity and the creative economy.

He called for clear and standardised legal and diplomatic mechanisms to support provenance research, improve access to archives and reduce legal barriers that can delay restitution.

The President also identified the unconditional return of human remains as an immediate priority in the broader restitution process.

According to President Mahama, the international community should move beyond isolated acts of goodwill and establish a permanent system capable of addressing restitution in a consistent manner.

“The story of Africa’s cultural heritage cannot end with its removal. It must continue with its return,” he said.

The New York meeting forms part of Ghana’s broader reparatory justice agenda, following the Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice held in Accra in June 2026.

Ghana has also established international mechanisms, including a Global Experts Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Heritage and a Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice, to support the next phase of the initiative.