President John Dramani Mahama has called on African leaders to unite behind Ghana’s plan to seek formal recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity at the United Nations General Assembly.
Addressing a high-level panel on Reparations, Memory and Sovereignty in Addis Ababa on Thursday, the President urged the 39th Assembly of the African Union to throw its full weight behind the proposed resolution.
Framing the initiative as a defining moral moment for the continent, Mahama said the move goes beyond symbolism and represents a necessary correction of historical injustice.
“This is not symbolic diplomacy. It is a necessary moral clarification of history,” he stated, emphasizing that Africa must collectively demand recognition of the atrocities and their enduring consequences.
Mahama, who serves as the African Union Champion on Reparations, argued that acknowledgment at the global level would strengthen the continent’s quest for reparative justice. He maintained that reparations must move beyond the return of looted artefacts to encompass economic redress, political empowerment and psychological healing.
According to him, the 2023 Common African Position on the Restitution of Heritage Resources provides a principled and legally grounded framework to guide the campaign, rooted in international law and shared historical experience.
He urged African leaders not to delay action, rallying them to treat the issue as central to the continent’s dignity and civilisational restoration.
“Let us not defer justice. Let us not postpone dignity. Let us act, and let us act together,” he appealed.
Ghana’s planned tabling of the resolution is expected to intensify global debate over historical accountability and the future of reparations for the transatlantic slave trade.
