Ghana has reaffirmed its leadership in the global campaign for reparatory justice for Africans and people of African descent, with President John Dramani Mahama briefing African Union leaders on growing international momentum behind the cause.
Speaking at the 21st Extraordinary Summit of the African Union in Luanda, President Mahama, who serves as the African Union Champion for Reparations, said the campaign had moved beyond advocacy to a broader international effort involving Africa, the Caribbean and the global African Diaspora.
He said the historic adoption of a United Nations General Assembly resolution on reparatory justice, achieved through collaboration among the African Union (AU), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Diaspora, had created a new platform for pursuing justice for the historical wrongs committed against Africans.
The resolution recognised the enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity, prompting Ghana to raise the critical question of what concrete steps should follow the historic decision.
In response, Ghana hosted the Next Steps Conference in Accra in June, which expanded the reparations agenda to include indentured labour as a historical injustice requiring attention.
The conference also resulted in the establishment of three key bodies: a High-Level Advisory Council on Reparatory Justice, a Global Experts Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Heritage, and a Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice.
President Mahama said the reparations agenda, once regarded as a taboo subject in international discourse, was now increasingly influencing global diplomacy and policy.
He pointed to the return of looted African cultural artefacts, legislative changes including the repeal of historical laws such as France’s Code Noir, as well as historic acknowledgements and commitments by international institutions, as indications of the changing global position on reparatory justice.
As part of efforts to sustain the momentum, Ghana will host a high-level side event during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The event is expected to receive progress reports from the three panels established following the Next Steps Conference and assess the progress being made towards developing concrete mechanisms for reparatory justice.
President Mahama said he had invited Heads of State to participate in the event as Ghana continues to champion the cause at the global level.
He said Ghana’s efforts were aimed at advancing justice, restitution and dignity for Africa and people of African descent around the world.
