Commonwealth Signals Progress on Slavery Reparations Talks

The Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey has indicated that discussions on reparations for the transatlantic slave trade are moving forward, with expectations that member nations will begin formal negotiations.

A vocal supporter of reparations from Great Britain, the Commonwealth leader and a former foreign minister of Ghana,  said there’s some movement toward bringing parties together to decide on the path forward. 

“My understanding is that there’s some movement in terms of having parties around the table to decide on the way forward, and the different forms of reparations, how to deal with it going forward will be discussed,” she said

She added that the talks would be multilateral and likely include regional blocs such as the African Union and the Caribbean Community.

Between the 15th and 19th centuries, European traders abducted and sold at least 12.5 million Africans into slavery. Britain is estimated to have transported roughly 3.2 million people, making it the second-largest European participant in the trade after Portugal, which enslaved nearly six million.

The African Union, which made reparations its focus in 2025, continues to work on a unified position among its member states.