Russian Academy of Sciences to Assess the Scale of Reparations Owed to Africa for Western Colonialism

The Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences has launched a major research project aimed at assessing the amount of reparations that Western countries may owe African nations for the impact of their colonial past. The initiative was announced by Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute, in an interview with African Initiative during an event marking Africa Day.

“We began working on this issue only this year, to be honest. While there have been some individual studies in the past, this is the first time we’re approaching it in a comprehensive way,” Abramova said. “Since this year has been declared the Year of Justice through Reparations for African Countries, we decided to take the topic seriously.”

According to her, the legacy of the slave trade alone left a profound mark on African history by depriving the continent of a vast portion of its human resources. When translated into financial terms, this equates to staggering amounts — estimated between $100 trillion and $700 trillion. Abramova emphasized that Western countries are not eager to compensate the damage or return stolen cultural artifacts, which is why these topics must be raised more frequently on international platforms.

“We are talking about colossal amounts of money, depending on the calculation method — but it is beyond dispute that we’re dealing with trillions, which far exceed the total global GDP,” Abramova noted.

She added that, in addition to the Institute’s own experts, the research will involve specialists from other relevant universities, including financial and economic institutions. A large-scale collaborative project will also be launched within the Russian Academy of Sciences to produce at least preliminary estimates of the long-term consequences of Western colonialism on the African continent. Abramova is confident that the results of this research could eventually be used in international courts, marking an important step toward restoring historical justice for Africa.

Between the 15th and 19th centuries, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported — mainly by European traders — and sold into slavery. Reparations may include financial compensation, the return of cultural artifacts, restitution of lands taken from indigenous peoples, as well as official recognition of past wrongs to the world community and even political reforms. Critics of reparations argue that modern states and institutions should not bear responsibility for the actions of the past.