GEORGE FLOYD IN AFRICA

MAY 25, 2025

WOULD GEORGE FLOYD HAVE FARED BETTER IN WEST AFRICA? A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Today marks Africa Day and the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's tragic death—prompting reflection on the possibilities of repatriation.

INTRODUCTION

The tragic murder of George Floyd in the United States in 2020 sparked a global reckoning on police brutality and systemic racism. It also raised a poignant hypothetical: Would Floyd have fared better had he been born and living in a West African country like Ghana? This question invites a nuanced comparison between the societal structures of the U.S. and West Africa, examining policing, racism, legal protections, and socioeconomic conditions. In exploring this, we find both stark differences and surprising similarities, underscoring that injustice can take different forms across contexts.

POLICING AND BRUTALITY: U.S. VS. WEST AFRICA

In the United States, George Floyd’s death under a police officer’s knee became emblematic of aggressive policing tactics and racial bias. American law enforcement is heavily armed and often quick to use deadly force—averaging nearly 1,000 civilian killings per year. Black Americans, about 13% of the population, account for 24% of those killed by U.S. police, reflecting a pattern of racial profiling. Floyd’s killing was not an isolated incident but part of what observers in Africa called a “deep tradition of racial prejudice and violence against African Americans by law enforcement.”

By contrast, West African nations like Ghana do not experience racism-driven police violence (the vast majority of citizens and officers are Black). Ghana’s police, however, are not immune to brutality. Excessive force and abuses occur, often linked to protests or crime control rather than race. A Ghanaian investigative report counted at least 72 civilians killed extrajudicially by police or military forces in Ghana between 2017 and 2021. Some were shot while protesting or mistaken for criminals, highlighting that police violence is a “perennial problem” in Africa as well. The African Union’s human rights bodies note that many African countries have outdated use-of-force laws and weak oversight, leading to impunity for officers. In short, a Black man in Ghana might not face racially motivated harassment, but could still encounter heavy-handed policing under certain conditions. The scale of lethal incidents is lower than in the U.S., but the risk of brutality exists, rooted in issues of poor training and accountability rather than racial bias.

SYSTEMIC RACISM VS. SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Systemic racism is a central factor in African American life. Centuries of enslavement and segregation in the U.S. have created entrenched disadvantages for Black communities, from economic inequality to over-policing. The African Union itself explicitly condemned the “discriminatory practices against Black citizens of the United States” in the wake of Floyd’s killing. Being Black in America often means facing prejudice in everything from housing to healthcare—a reality foreign to societies like Ghana where Black people are the majority and hold power at all levels.

In Ghana, George Floyd would have grown up free from racial discrimination, but not necessarily free from other societal challenges. Discrimination in West Africa tends to stem from factors like ethnicity, class, or political affiliation rather than race. For example, some ethnic groups or poorer communities may feel marginalized, but the dynamic differs greatly from the black-white racial divide in America. On the whole, a Black man in Ghana is part of the mainstream, not a minority viewed with suspicion due to skin color. One African American who relocated to Ghana noted that he “no longer feels he is a victim of racial profiling or racial abuse,” describing life there as a welcome relief from the constant vigilance he had to exercise in the U.S. He quipped that living in Ghana and not having to worry about being targeted by police was like knowing “what it must feel like to be a white person in America.” This illustrates how the absence of systemic racism can profoundly affect day-to-day peace of mind.

However, Ghana is not a utopia. Social inequalities and economic stratification persist. Privilege often comes with wealth or connections, and there can be subtle biases (for instance, towards foreigners or lighter-skinned Africans in certain elite circles). Yet these issues generally do not manifest in the overt, state-sanctioned oppression that African Americans historically faced. In essence, West African societies spare individuals like Floyd the burden of racial stigma, even if they face other hurdles common in developing nations.

LEGAL PROTECTIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The U.S. and Ghana both have legal frameworks meant to protect citizens—on paper. The United States boasts strong constitutional rights and an independent judiciary, yet justice for police abuse is hard-won. In Floyd’s case, it took overwhelming video evidence and public outcry to achieve the conviction of the officer who killed him. Systemic change remains slow, which is why international bodies like the UN Human Rights Council have moved to scrutinize U.S. police violence and racism.

Ghana’s constitution likewise prohibits torture or cruel treatment by authorities. The country, like others in Africa, is party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which guarantees the right to life and equality before the law. In practice, though, enforcement is inconsistent. There are “credible reports [that] police beat and otherwise abused” suspects in Ghana, and victims are often reluctant to file complaints. Officers accused of brutality frequently deny wrongdoing and rarely face serious punishment. Ghana’s Police Professional Standards Bureau exists to investigate misconduct, but many cases go unaddressed or are settled informally.

Accountability for lethal force is especially tenuous. In a notorious Ghanaian case, police shot and killed seven unarmed men (the “Zongo 7”) in 2018, falsely labeling them armed robbers. A commission of inquiry found no evidence the victims were criminals, leading to the suspension of 21 officers—yet, years later, those officers “are yet to face the law,” and the government’s response was to pay compensation to the bereaved families. This contrasts with the U.S., where wrongful death lawsuits against police often result in multi-million dollar settlements and—in rare cases like Floyd’s—criminal convictions. If George Floyd had died under similar circumstances in Ghana, his family might have received condolences and perhaps compensation, but the officers might never see a courtroom. The African Union has recognized this gap, urging member states to strengthen oversight and end the impunity surrounding police violence.

On the other hand, one could argue that Floyd’s fatal encounter may have been less likely in Ghana to begin with. Ghanaian police are generally not as heavily armed on routine duties, and the prevalence of armed suspects is lower due to strict gun laws. A minor incident over a counterfeit bill might have led to a scuffle or arrest, but perhaps not a deadly chokehold on a busy street. That said, abuses like chokings or beatings in custody do happen across Africa—they’re just less visible globally. The key point is that both societies struggle, in different ways, to balance law enforcement powers with the protection of citizens’ rights.

SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND LIFE CHANCES

“Faring better” in life is not only about avoiding police brutality; it’s also about one’s overall quality of life and opportunities. Here the differences between the U.S. and West Africa are stark. The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, while Ghana remains a lower-middle-income nation. By numbers, Ghana’s average income per person is barely 3% of that in the U.S. (approximately $2,200 vs $82,000 GDP per capita). Many Ghanaians face challenges like high youth unemployment and limited access to advanced healthcare. George Floyd’s life in America was undoubtedly tough—he grew up in a poor neighborhood and struggled with jobs—but the U.S. does offer infrastructure and services (public schools, social programs, etc.) that can be scarce in West Africa.

Had Floyd been born in Ghana, his socioeconomic prospects would depend on his family’s means and connections. He might have had a closer-knit extended family support system (as is common in African communities), possibly cushioning periods of unemployment. Yet he would also likely encounter widespread poverty and fewer public safety nets. Inequality exists in both places, but in Ghana it’s often a case of the majority being equally underprivileged, whereas in the U.S. the disparities fall sharply along racial lines due to historical oppression.

It’s worth noting that some African Americans have seen West Africa as a refuge from the “double burden” of being both poor and Black in America. Ghana’s recent “Year of Return” campaign encouraged diaspora descendants to move “back home,” and a number of Black Americans have responded. Those who relocated remark on the psychological relief of not being judged by skin color, even if day-to-day life requires adapting to electricity outages or fewer economic opportunities. In Ghana, Floyd might have lived in a society that, despite its material hardships, affirmed his dignity as a human being in ways the U.S. often failed to do. On the other hand, he might have lacked the economic mobility and civil liberties (like a free press or the ability to protest robustly) that Americans strive to use in the fight for change.

CONCLUSION

Determining whether George Floyd would have “fared better” in West Africa is complex. On one hand, a Black man in Ghana is free from the systemic racism that shadowed Floyd’s every step in America—a freedom that can literally be life-saving. He would likely not have been targeted for the color of his skin by police or cornered by a racist vigilante. The legal and cultural reality of being part of the majority could have spared him the fatal bias that ended his life in Minneapolis. Indeed, the Chairperson of the African Union noted that eliminating racial discrimination is vital to prevent such tragedies.

On the other hand, West African nations grapple with their own forms of injustice. Police brutality, while not racial in motive, still poses a threat to civilians during protests or crime crackdowns. Legal protections exist in theory but often falter in practice, with accountability mechanisms still developing. Socioeconomic conditions in countries like Ghana mean that someone of Floyd’s background might struggle with poverty and limited opportunity, albeit alongside the rest of society rather than due to racial exclusion. In short, he might have been safer from racist violence, yet not necessarily from state violence or economic hardship.

What this comparative exploration reveals is that injustice wears different faces. The United States must confront its legacy of racism and police violence—a point driven home by global outrage and even African Union pressure for reform. Meanwhile, African countries must continue strengthening rule of law to ensure that “police brutality somewhere is police brutality everywhere” is not just a slogan but a call for internal reform as well. George Floyd’s fate has become a universal symbol, resonating on the streets of Accra and Lagos as much as in Minneapolis. Reflecting on this hypothetical on Africa Day, it’s crucial to acknowledge the continent’s ongoing struggle to address the deep legacies of colonialism, which significantly shape current economic and social inequalities. If anything, imagining his life in West Africa underscores a shared aspiration on both sides of the Atlantic: to build societies where one’s chances of survival and success do not hinge on the color of their skin or the whims of those in power. Achieving that vision is a global struggle—one that truly demands progress for all.

SOURCES

THE GLOSS

In America, George Floyd faced violence and unfair treatment because of racism, while in West Africa, issues like police abuse exist but are usually not caused by skin color.
Living in West Africa would have meant fewer racial threats for George Floyd, but he still could have faced problems due to poverty and weak justice systems.
Africa Day reminds us that colonial history still affects African countries, creating challenges that everyone must help overcome.