National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has restated that the growing global call for reparatory justice should be understood as a pursuit of accountability and fairness in international economic relations, rather than an emotional or historical grievance.
Speaking at a high-level international forum in Russia, he said Ghana’s stance reflects broader concerns about persistent structural inequalities within the global economic order.
He stressed that reparatory justice is not about blaming present generations for historical events, but about addressing systemic imbalances that continue to disadvantage developing nations.
“Our fight for reparatory justice is not rooted in sentiment, nor is it about assigning guilt to present generations for the actions of the past. Rather, it is a firm demand for accountability,” he stated.
The remarks were delivered on June 25 during the 3rd Standing Committee Meeting of the “For the Freedom of Nations!” Movement, hosted by the United Russia Party. The forum brought together participants to discuss modern neocolonialism and global equity.
Asiedu Nketiah emphasized that sustainable international cooperation must confront historical disparities that still shape global trade, finance, and development structures today.
He argued that the principles of Pan-Africanism cannot be fully realised without economic independence, noting that political freedom alone is insufficient without control over financial systems, trade policies, and natural resources.
“Decades after Dr. Kwame Nkrumah cautioned us, political independence remains incomplete if our financial systems, trade regimes, and resources are still governed by rules we did not write,” he said.
He further urged African countries to move beyond exporting raw materials and instead strengthen their capacity in industrial production, technology, and value addition to compete globally on equal footing.
Beyond the main sessions, Ghana’s delegation also engaged with stakeholders at the Legislative Assembly, the Hermitage Museum, and the XIV International Legal Forum, where discussions focused on legal and policy approaches to global economic justice.
He added that Ghana is aligning itself with a wider Global South push for reforms in international financial and trade systems, positioning reparatory justice as a key pillar of long-term economic sovereignty and development.
