A researcher and historian at the University of Ghana, Legon, Kweku Darko Ankrah, has argued that Europe’s economic and industrial development was significantly fuelled by the enslavement and exploitation of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice in Accra, Mr Ankrah maintained that Africa was economically vibrant and largely self-sufficient before sustained European involvement and the onset of the slave trade.
According to him, many African societies had thriving agrarian economies and stable livelihoods, with families able to meet their basic needs through local production and trade.
He contended that the large-scale removal of Africans through slavery disrupted these economic systems while simultaneously providing the labour force that helped drive economic growth in Europe and other Western economies.
Mr Ankrah explained that many of the young and able-bodied Africans who would have contributed to agricultural production and economic development on the continent were instead forcibly taken across the Atlantic and compelled to work on plantations and in various forms of labour.
“When the slave trade occurred, what happened was that the African strong men who ought to work in the agrarian sector, because Africa’s economy was highly propelled by the agrarian sector, were taken away. That labour was then used on farms and plantations, and as a result, it boosted the economies of these Western countries while they benefited from the products of their labour,” he said.
He argued that the system of forced labour became a critical pillar of agricultural and industrial expansion in Europe, contributing significantly to wealth creation while depriving African societies of human resources essential for their own development.
The historian also pointed to historical publications and records from the Gold Coast era, which he said provide evidence of the comparative social and economic conditions that existed before colonial rule. According to him, these records challenge common assumptions about Africa’s past and support claims that many African societies enjoyed considerable economic stability prior to colonial intervention.
Mr Ankrah made the remarks amid growing international discussions on historical accountability, reparatory justice and the lasting impact of slavery on Africa and people of African descent around the world.
These conversations have gained renewed momentum following the adoption of United Nations Resolution A/RES/80/250, which has intensified global engagement on issues of reparations and historical redress.
The Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice, being held in Accra under the auspices of President John Dramani Mahama, continues to bring together scholars, policymakers and stakeholders from across the world to examine the enduring legacy of slavery, colonialism and their socio-economic consequences for Africa and the diaspora.