Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, and Jamaican professor Paulette Ramsey have called for stronger cooperation between Africa and its diaspora, warning that restrictive policies and weak cultural ties could undermine the continent’s development.
The three leaders made the call at the ongoing Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) 2026, sponsored by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union in Lagos.
Speaking during a discussion on the book, Lest We Forget: Slavery, Slave Trade, Colonisation, Emancipation and Reparation, produced through his initiative, Obasanjo criticised African countries restricting visa-on-arrival arrangements for fellow Africans.
He described such policies as contradictory to the continent’s aspirations for unity, integration and economic cooperation, arguing that Africans should be able to travel freely across national borders to pursue business and other opportunities.
The former president advocated visa-on-arrival arrangements or a common African visa, saying that citizens seeking to trade within the continent should not be burdened with obtaining multiple visas.
According to him, Africa and its people share a common history and interests, which should encourage cooperation rather than divisions created by greed and competing interests.
Obasanjo also cautioned against attempts to shift responsibility for the transatlantic slave trade primarily to Africans, insisting that the role of European powers must not be overlooked.
He argued that European countries fuelled conflicts among African communities, supplied weapons and organised the trade in enslaved people for economic gain.
While acknowledging that some African rulers and merchants participated in the trade, he maintained that their involvement should not be used to diminish the responsibility of European powers in the enslavement and transportation of millions of Africans.
He urged Africans to preserve the memory of the atrocities committed during the slave trade, adding that forgiveness could be considered where genuine remorse was demonstrated.
In his remarks, Gonsalves called for stronger relations between Africa and the Caribbean, describing their connection as one rooted in shared history, identity and cultural heritage.
He illustrated the region’s diverse cultural influences by describing Caribbean civilisation as a combination of indigenous songs, European melody, African rhythm and Asian chords, expressed through Caribbean lyrics.
The former prime minister also expressed support for reparations, describing them as a matter of international justice and a necessary response to the enduring consequences of slavery and colonialism.
He said that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) had developed a 10-point reparations plan covering formal apologies, healthcare, education, housing, poverty reduction, technology, memorials and the return of stolen cultural artefacts.
The framework also includes debt relief and financial compensation.
Gonsalves argued that reparations should be treated as a distinct framework for addressing historical injustices rather than being presented as ordinary development assistance.
Similarly, Ramsey, a professor of Afro-Hispanic Literature and Culture in Jamaica, called for greater efforts to preserve African heritage and protect the intellectual property of people of African descent.
She noted that African cultural traditions, including folktales, proverbs and oral storytelling, had survived in different parts of the diaspora but warned that more needed to be done to preserve and pass them on to younger generations.
Ramsey also called on African governments to introduce stronger policies to protect creative works and ensure that African history and cultural traditions were adequately represented in educational curricula, particularly for young people in the diaspora.
