President John Dramani Mahama has called for collective action towards achieving justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations.
Launching the African Union theme of the year 2025 during the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, today, President Mahama said the pursuit of justice requires stronger legal and institutional mechanisms at national, regional, and international levels.
"We must continue to advocate for stronger legal and institutional mechanisms... to ensure that justice for the historical trauma inflicted on global Africa is not just a conversation, but a reality," President Mahama said.
The African Union has dedicated the year 2025 to addressing historical injustices and their lingering consequences, which have impacted generations of Africans and people of African descent, under the theme: "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”
President Mahama said the Accra Reparations Conference in November 2023 reaffirmed the need for comprehensive reparatory justice and led to the development of stronger advocacy and policy frameworks.
He explained that achieving justice requires collaboration among European member states, regional economic communities, the global African diaspora, civil society organizations, academia, the private sector, and international partners.
On the issue of Slave trade in Africa, President Mahama said the devastating effects of the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, apartheid, genocide, and neo-colonial exploitation, have resulted in economic disparities, social inequality, systemic discrimination, and racial prejudices. He noted that the transatlantic slave trade was one of the most heinous crimes against humanity, spanning about 400 years and forcibly displacing more than 12.5 million Africans.
President Mahama revealed that an estimated two million Africans perished during the middle passage alone.
He said the legacy of this brutal system along with colonialism, apartheid, genocide, and new colonial exploitation have left deep and endurance cast on the fabric of our societies adding that, addressing these challenges requires not more than just acknowledging them, but also It demands action.
"We must continue to advocate for stronger legal and institutional mechanisms at the national, regional, and international levels to ensure that justice for the historical trauma inflicted on global Africa is not just a conversation, but a reality," President Mahama said.
President Mahama continued and expressed Ghana's support for the critical initiative, urging collective action towards a future that is fair, just, and equitable for all Africans and people of African descent.