Chief Negotiator for the temporary return of Asante ‘crown jewels’, Ivor Agyemang Duah, says the artefacts cannot be returned permanently due to UK laws banning such actions.

The 'crown jewels' of the Asante Kingdom, looted by the British during the colonial era, are now set to be returned to Ghana.

Under the terms of a three-year agreement between the British Museum and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the gold artefacts will be loaned to the Ashanti Kingdom.

Among the items being returned to Ghana are a gold smoking pipe, a sword that belonged to the Ashanti state, and gold badges

According to Mr Duah, the Ashanti Kingdom had hoped for a permanent return of the items but was forced to accept the loan agreement as the best possible outcome.

“The national museums in particular in the UK cannot permanently return these objects. There is goodwill among workers and museum economists who feel that they should look at the laws again.

"But as it is now, it cannot. We only had to look into what is possible and the loan agreement of possibly six years was what was available.”

According to Mr Duah, the artefacts will arrive between April and May after negotiating for nine months.

Background

The UK is sending some of Ghana's "crown jewels" back home, 150 years after looting them from the court of the Asante king.

A gold peace pipe is among 32 items returning under long-term loan deals, the BBC can reveal.

The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is lending 17 pieces and 15 are from the British Museum.

Ghana's chief negotiator said he hoped for "a new sense of cultural cooperation" after generations of anger.