ACCRA, Ghana, 4 March: President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has declared that although the transatlantic slave trade painfully severed physical ties between Africa and the Caribbean, it failed to erase the shared identity of their people.
According to him, history now demands a deliberate effort to reunite what geography once divided and to transform a painful past into a foundation for collective progress.
President Mahama made the remarks at an Official State Luncheon held in honour of the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Terrance Michael Drew, who is in Ghana on a state visit.
“What geography once divided, history now compels us to bring back together. The painful rapture caused by the transatlantic slave trade severed physical ties between our people, but it did not erase our shared identity. The time has come to move beyond remembrance to reconstruction, to transform shared memories into shared purpose” he said.
The President stressed that Africa and the Caribbean must dismantle the artificial, mental, and economic barriers that have long separated them and instead build enduring bridges of cooperation.
“The artificial, mental, and economic barriers that long separated Africa and the Caribbean must give way to bridges of trade, mobility, knowledge, exchange, and cultural renewal. In this regard, Ghana strongly supports the renewed momentum between the African Union and CARICOM to deepen structured engagement between our two regional blocs. Political solidarity must now be matched by economic integration” he stated.
He further described the expansion of the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM) into the Caribbean as a bold and strategic move that could unlock new opportunities for trade, investment, and financial cooperation across the Atlantic.
“Expanding the African Export-Import Bank, AFREXIM, into the Caribbean is a bold and strategic step towards unlocking trade, investment, and financial cooperation across the Atlantic” he said.
President Mahama emphasised that leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have a responsibility to rally their citizens around a common vision of dignity, prosperity, and global respect for people of African descent.
“Our responsibility as leaders is to mobilize our people around a unifying vision, one that secures dignity, prosperity, and global respect for people of African descent everywhere in the world. We must build systems that empower our youth, expand opportunity, and ensure that our shared civilization is defined not by its trauma, but by its successes” he said.
LISTEN TO PRESIDENT MAHAMA IN THE AUDIO BELOW:
On his part, Prime Minister Drew applauded Ghana’s leadership on the issue of reparations, describing the transatlantic slave trade and colonisation as among the gravest injustices in human history.
“Presently, the President in Ghana, they are presenting a resolution to the United Nations, which I deem to be extremely timely and profound. And that is to place on record the historical tragedy of slavery and colonization as one of the most, if not the most, heinous crimes ever committed by humanity against itself” he said.
He expressed gratitude to President Mahama for his leadership and pledged the full backing of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which he currently chairs.
“And so I want to thank you, Mr. President, for your tremendous leadership as far as this is concerned, and you can count on us for strong and full support. I am now the chair of CARICOM, which are all of the countries in the Caribbean region, the independent countries, and we have some associated members. And I have, of course, considered this my responsibility to get CARICOM on board and where the deliberations have started, and so I wanted to place that on record” he said.
LISTEN TO DR. TERRANCE DREW IN THE AUDIO BELOW:
The luncheon underscored a renewed commitment by Ghana and its Caribbean partners to convert historical bonds into concrete economic, political, and cultural collaboration for future generations.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 🇬🇭