The Netherlands and Germany Agree to Return 2,000 Artifacts to Ghana
Germany and the Netherlands have agreed to return 2,000 culturally significant artifacts taken from Ghana during the colonial era, an announcement made at the “Next Steps” conference in Accra. Ghana’s foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa wrote on Facebook on June 20 that ambassadors from both countries presented a catalogue of items to President John Dramani Mahama, though he did not specify where the objects are held; Ghanaian outlet 3 News reported that timelines and plans for reception and display are expected later. An update dated July 8 added that the treasures include ceremonial objects and traditional regalia held in German and Dutch museums and private collections, and that returns will occur in phases after further consultations. The conference followed a March 25, 2026 UN declaration describing the trafficking and enslavement of Africans as the “gravest crime against humanity,” and also included Denmark’s foreign minister apologizing for Denmark’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and pledging help to preserve slave-trade-era castles. The article situates the move within broader restitution efforts, noting Ghana’s 2024 Manhyia Palace exhibition of returned Asante objects and the Netherlands’ 2025 agreement to return 113 Benin bronzes to Nigeria and a 3,500-year-old Pharaonic bust to Egypt.
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This story was covered in Restitution Reckonings and Museums Under Pressure