British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the concept of reparations for former colonial nations affected by slavery was “not about cash transfers”.

In his first comments since a joint letter signed by 56 Commonwealth leaders in October, he said: “It’s time” to talk about reparationsLammy told the BBC it was “not the debate people want to have”.

“I would like to emphasize that it is simply a press controversy with some of the media thinking that this is about cash transfers,” he said.

Speaking in Nigeria, Lammy said the UK instead wanted to work on developing relationships with the continent based on sharing skills and science.

“This is not about cash transfers, especially at a time when there is a cost of living crisis in much of the world and certainly in the UK,” Lammy said.

“I don’t think that’s the discussion people want to have. They want to think about the future.”

Speaking in the Nigerian port city of Lagos, once the center of the transatlantic slave trade, on his first visit to Africa as foreign secretary, Lammy said the UK was right to apologize for its earlier role in slavery.

He said: “When we look back on that period, there were a lot of horrors. It was horrific and horrifying in so many ways. And there are scars that are left behind, and let’s be clear; I’m a descendant of enslaved people, so I understand that.”

“The last time we were in government we apologized and commemorated the abolition of the slave trade.”

Lammy acknowledged that Caribbean countries have made a 10-point plan for restorative justice.

But he said he believed developing countries would benefit as part of this from things like the transfer of technical skills and science expertise from the UK.

The Secretary of State’s comments on reparations follow a discussion of the issue at CHOGM in Samoa last month.

The United Kingdom has faced growing calls from Commonwealth leaders to pay compensation for the country’s role in the slave trade.

Before the Samoa summit, Downing Street said the issue was not up for debate, but Sir Keir Starmer later signed a document with other Commonwealth leaders calling for talks on “restorative justice”.

Lammy spoke to the BBC at the beginning of his trip to visit Nigeria and South Africa, which are among the largest economies on the continent.

He said he wanted to start a five-month consultation period with African countries.

“I think Britain needs a new approach to Africa,” the Foreign Secretary said.

“A lot has changed since my party was last in government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, where there was a huge commitment to the continent but it was very much development-based.

“The dynamism, the energy in Lagos. The potential for growth and opportunity in various areas. There is so much potential.

“I hope that in the coming months and years the UK can build more partnerships here in Nigeria and across the continent.

“And the UK is there once again, because from what I hear the UK has taken a bit of a step back in the last few years, which is reflected in our trade figures.

“There’s a lot I think we can do together in the coming months and years.”

Asked about other Africa-related issues, Lammy said the conflict in Sudan was “of great concern” and that the UK planned to prioritize the issue in November, when it assumes the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

He said: “The loss of life is incredible and surpasses any other conflict in the world.

“The humanitarian catastrophe that has been unfolding for months is of great concern.

“We have become the new president of the UN Security Council and I intend to make Sudan my priority over the next month.

“In New York, I will raise both humanitarian issues and how we can bring the parties together to achieve a peaceful outcome.

“The fact that Sudan has not received the international attention it needs is a matter of great concern, and this will have huge consequences, given not only the suffering but also the destabilization of the wider region. Potentially if Sudan were to become a completely failed state.

“It will have major consequences not only for East Africa and the African continent, but also for Europe.”