Ghana is set to reclaim 2,000 cultural artefacts looted during the colonial era after the Netherlands and Germany agreed to return them, marking a major milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to recover treasures taken under colonial rule.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced the development at the Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice and Restitution in Accra in June, where the Dutch and German ambassadors presented President John Dramani Mahama with a catalogue of the artefacts scheduled for return during a plenary session.

German Ambassador to Ghana Frederik Landshöft said the repatriation would serve as evidence of Germany’s willingness to acknowledge its colonial past while deepening its relationship with Ghana.

The announcement follows a landmark 2024 handover that saw 32 Asante treasures returned to Ghana more than 150 years after British colonial forces looted them during the Anglo-Asante wars.