Former Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, George Mireku Duker, has accused Ransford Gyampo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority, of hypocrisy over what he described as conflicting views on calls for reparations from the West for the transatlantic slave trade.
Speaking in an interview on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on March 26, 2026, Duker argued that Professor Gyampo’s position on reparations has shifted over time.
“I hear people hailing President Mahama’s move as unprecedented. Someone like Professor Gyampo, I will plead with him to be consistent. I remember when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said it would be important for the West to compensate us because of the slave trade.
“Professor Gyampo said it wasn’t necessary, arguing that Ghana didn’t need such money. Today, the same Professor Gyampo has described Mahama’s call for reparations as unprecedented. Can you imagine? If this continues, they won’t take us seriously,” Duker stated.
He further recalled Gyampo’s earlier claim that corruption would prevent Ghana from benefiting from reparations.
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“At that time, he said if we got such money, we wouldn’t see where it would go. But now, if the money comes, can we really know where it will pass?” Duker asked.
“What baffles me is his claim that what Mahama said is unprecedented. I mean, what sort of hypocrisy is this?”
Meanwhile, Professor Gyampo has responded to critics, insisting that his comments on reparations have been misrepresented.
In a Facebook post, he described the attacks as “nation-wrecking propaganda” and clarified that his earlier remarks were taken out of context from a broader television discussion.
He explained that during an appearance on TV3’s Key Points, he examined reparations within a wider academic and policy framework. At the University of Ghana, he noted, courses on African development strategies critically assess approaches such as Import Substitution Industrialisation, Structural Adjustment Programmes, the Lagos Plan of Action, NEPAD, HIPC initiatives, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Within this context, Gyampo emphasized that while the transatlantic slave trade is globally acknowledged as a grave crime against humanity and a legitimate basis for reparations, such efforts must be matched with internal reforms across African states.
“The call for reparations would be meaningless if we do not address corruption, waste, and negative attitudes that continue to undermine development,” he stressed.
He maintained that his argument was not to dismiss reparations but to underscore the need for accountability and attitudinal change to ensure any potential gains are not squandered.
Gyampo also commended President Mahama for what he described as an “unprecedented” diplomatic feat in securing global acknowledgment of the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity.
On March 25, 2026, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama achieved a historic diplomatic victory as the United Nations General Assembly passed his motion on reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.
The motion, presented under Ghana’s leadership, was adopted with 123 member states voting in favour.
Three countries the United States, Argentina, and Israel voted against it, while 52 nations abstained.
The resolution calls for renewed international commitment to reparative justice for African nations and the descendants of enslaved people.
It urges UN member states to engage in structured dialogue and concrete actions aimed at acknowledging and addressing the enduring social, economic and cultural impacts of slavery.
AM
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