Asantehene’s technical advisor, historian and museum economist, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, has revealed why the UK government is not outrightly returning gold and artefacts looted in 1874 from the palace in Kumasi by British colonial military troops.

In a report, it is stated that while engaging Archaeologist and Ghana heritage specialist Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann noted that the moral right to ownership does exist, however, there are also the laws of antiquity in the UK.

"The Victoria & Albert and the British Museum are national museums. They are governed by very strict laws which do not permit de-accessioning or permanently removing a work of art or other object from a museum’s collection to sell it or otherwise dispose of it.

"That had always been the constraining factor over the last 50 years. But there was also a way that we could have these items for a maximum of six years. Not all the objects are being exhibited at the British Museum. Many have never been exhibited and lie in storage in a warehouse.

"Based on the circumstances and the trinity of anniversaries, we came to an agreement. Discussions will however continue between us and these museums to find a lasting agreement. Of course, the Ghana experience will be important for restitution claims from other countries in Africa," he is quoted to have said.

Ivor Agyeman-Duah noted that the return of the looted artefacts is an issue that has been on the drawing board for half a century.

"It’s not just an immediate concern of the current Asantehene. It has been a concern of the last three occupants of the stool (throne). But this year is critical because it marks 150 years since the Sagrenti War. It also marks 100 years since the return of the Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh after his exile in Seychelles and 25 years since the current Asantehene, Oseu Tutu II, ascended the stool.

"So, while in London in May 2023, after having official discussions with directors of these museums, he reopened discussions and negotiations. He asked me and Malcolm McLeod, former curator and scholar at the British Museum and vice-principal at the University of Glasgow, to help in the technical decisions that would be made. We’ve been working on this for the past nine months," he revealed.