Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago discuss reparatory justice, bilateral cooperation

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has held bilateral meeting with his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Hon. Sean S.M. Sobers, MP, on advancing the reparatory justice agenda and strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting took place on the margins of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda.

During the meeting, discussions centred on reparatory justice, with the two Ministers exploring the possibility of establishing a dedicated mechanism, potentially co-chaired by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union (AU), to facilitate structured engagement with the United Kingdom.

The ministers observed that existing platforms, such as the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM), may be too broad to accommodate focused discussions on the issue.

According to them, reparatory justice should go beyond financial compensation and include acknowledgement of historical injustices, reconciliation, guarantees of non-repetition and the promotion of a fairer international order.

The two sides also recognised the importance of leveraging the relatively progressive disposition of the current United Kingdom administration while safeguarding the fundamental principles of the reparatory justice agenda.

The Trinidad and Tobago side proposed the exploration of development-oriented interventions as part of the reparatory justice process. These include expanded scholarship opportunities, support for healthcare infrastructure and hospital development, as well as improvements in educational facilities.

Climate-related cooperation was also identified as a potential area for consideration within the broader reparatory justice framework.

On bilateral and multilateral cooperation, both ministers reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining the strong bonds of solidarity between Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago.

They identified Ghana's anticipated leadership role within the African Union in 2027 and Trinidad and Tobago's forthcoming chairmanship of CARICOM in January 2028 as strategic opportunities to strengthen Africa-Caribbean cooperation and advance the shared reparatory justice agenda.

The ministers further discussed prospective high-level exchanges, including an invitation for Mr. Ablakwa to visit Trinidad and Tobago in 2027 to formally commission the relevant diplomatic mission.

The proposed visit would also provide an opportunity to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.