Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has told African and Caribbean leaders that reparations for slavery and colonial exploitation are a matter of justice, not charity.
Speaking at the 2nd Africa–CARICOM Summit in Addis Ababa on Sunday, Mr Browne said the historic wealth of the Global North was “built on the backs of enslaved Africans and their descendants” and called for a comprehensive programme of redress.
“This is not about race, creed, or division – it is about justice,” he told the gathering, which brought together heads of state, senior officials and international partners. “Reparations must be rooted in acknowledgement and apology, but extend beyond words to include investments in education, health, technology, climate resilience, and cultural renewal
The Prime Minister argued that reparations should not be seen as a plea for sympathy. Instead, he described them as a corrective measure designed to address systemic inequities that persist in finance, trade and governance.
“Reparations are not a plea for pity. They are a demand for fairness,” he said. “They are the foundation of justice upon which we must build our future.”
Mr Browne’s intervention comes at a time when several Caribbean states, through the CARICOM Reparations Commission, have been pressing Europe for reparatory justice. The issue has gained renewed attention in Africa as well, with some governments voicing support for coordinated demands.
While reparations were a central theme, Mr Browne also urged leaders to overcome what he described as a historic failure to act decisively. Too often, he said, “eloquence in speeches has not been matched by courage in deeds.”
He called on Africa and the Caribbean to choose “unity over fragmentation, action over inertia, and courage over complacency,” stressing that the summit should be remembered as a turning point.
Despite outlining these practical steps, Mr Browne underscored that reparations must remain the moral cornerstone of Africa–Caribbean cooperation.
“Our ancestors endured bondage without choice,” he said. “We, their descendants, now hold the power to choose. Will we remain complacent, waiting for validation from others? Or will we choose courage, charting our own destiny?”
He closed with a vision of Africa and the Caribbean standing “not as victims of history but as architects of the future,” reunited across the Atlantic in dignity, justice and prosperity.
