President John Dramani Mahama has acknowledged steps taken by European countries towards the return of African cultural heritage but urged the international community to move beyond individual acts of restitution.

Speaking at the UNGA side event, President Mahama thanked the Netherlands for cataloguing 2,000 Ghanaian artefacts for possible return and acknowledged Germany’s engagement with Ghana’s Kpando traditional area.

He also recognised France’s legislative initiatives relating to restitution and cited the return of the Djidji Ayokwe talking drum to Côte d’Ivoire as another significant development.

However, he said the progress demonstrated the need for a more comprehensive international system.

“We thank the Netherlands for cataloguing 2,000 Ghanaian artefacts for return,” he said, while stressing that “moral justice cannot rely on piecemeal generosity or isolated acts of goodwill.”

President Mahama called for standardised mechanisms that would allow provenance research, negotiations and restitution to be conducted more efficiently.

He said the ultimate objective should be an international framework that makes the return of African cultural property a predictable process rather than an exceptional event.