As the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) celebrates its golden jubilee with grand festivities in Accra, Ghana, a pivotal and emotionally charged conversation has taken center stage: the push for reparations for colonial-era injustices and the return of looted African artifacts.
Amidst the fanfare, African leaders are signaling a shift toward addressing historical wrongs as a foundation for future development.
During an interview at the ECOWAS 50th Anniversary launch, Nigeria's Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Musa Sani Nuhu, reaffirmed the regional bloc's alignment with the African Union's 2025 theme-heritage restoration and reparative justice. "I think you'll recall that the African Union's theme for the year is in line with these issues, and ECOWAS is part of the African Union," said Ambassador Nuhu. "ECOWAS supported that theme to be the central focus for 2025." He highlighted that ECOWAS has already begun operationalizing this agenda, most notably through the appointment of President Patrice Talon of Benin as the regional champion for the recovery of cultural artifacts looted during the colonial period. "These items were taken from the region during colonialism.
So, of course, ECOWAS is very much on course with this issue," he added.
