Accra, Ghana – Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has sharply criticised UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch for suggesting Britain should have voted against a recent United Nations resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity.

In a strongly worded response, Ablakwa urged Badenoch to revisit the historical record, pointing out that after the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, UK taxpayers compensated slave owners — not the enslaved Africans or their descendants.

He noted that compensation payments to slave owners continued until 2015, with estimates suggesting the total amount, adjusted for today’s value, exceeds £2 billion.

“What the conservative leader has said, Kemi Badenoch, that’s an opinion, an opinion that is clearly not supported by the fact,” Ablakwa stated. “If you think about the historical fact which cannot be contested, that slave masters were compensated in the UK and taxpayers… she was not concerned about taxpayers paying the slave owners who were compensated because slavery was abolished.”

He added that it was “really unfortunate, really regrettable and unconscionable” that Badenoch appeared more concerned about modern UK taxpayers than the victims of slavery and their descendants who received no compensation. Ablakwa concluded by hoping Badenoch would “take a second look at her history notes.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on March 26, Badenoch expressed displeasure at the UK’s abstention under the Labour government, writing:

“Russia, China and Iran vote with others to demand trillions in reparations from UK taxpayers…and the Labour government abstain! Britain led the fight to end slavery. Why didn’t Starmer’s representative vote against this? Ignorance…or cowardice? We shouldn’t be paying for a crime we helped eradicate and still fight today.”

These exchanges come after UN General Assembly adopted Ghana’s resolution on March 25, 2026, with 123 nations voting in favour. The United Kingdom was among the countries that abstained.

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