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Reuters
A report commissioned by the French president recommends that the works in dispute be returned to their country of origin
French President Emmanuel Macron said France would make 26 works of art taken in Benin, in western Africa, during the colonial era.
This announcement follows a report by experts recommending that the African treasures of French museums be returned to their home countries.
The 26 thrones and statues were taken in 1892 during a colonial war against the kingdom of Dahomey.
They are currently exhibited at the musée du quai Branly in Paris.
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Benin officially asked for his return a few years ago. President Macron said the statues would be returned "without delay".
His office said that the return of art to Benin should not be an isolated case.
The president "hopes that all the possibilities of dissemination of these works will be taken into account: returns, but also exhibitions, loans, cooperation," said the Elysee.
A group of experts, instructed by the president to study the issue of African art works in French museums, presented his findings on Friday.
Ousmane Aledji, director of the Benin cultural center Artisttik Africa, told the AFP news agency that he was delighted to see "a new form of cultural exchange" with France.
During colonial rule in Africa, thousands of cultural objects were seized from the continent by Western countries.
The official report indicates that most of the African collection of the musée du quai Branly – about 46,000 pieces – was acquired with some constraint.
The announcement of France comes as the major museums in Europe have agreed to lend key items to Nigeria.
