President John Dramani Mahama has announced Ghana’s intention to introduce a motion at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) seeking reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, colonial exploitation, and cultural theft.
Speaking in New York on Thursday, September 25, during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President said the time had come for the international community to take concrete steps to address historical injustices that fuelled the wealth of Western nations at the expense of Africa.
“As the African champion on reparations, Ghana intends to introduce a motion in this august body to that effect,” Mahama declared.
He noted that although reparations have been raised at the UN over the years, no binding resolution has ever been passed.
“More than 12 and a half million Africans were forcibly taken against their will and transported to create wealth for the powerful Western nations,” he reminded the Assembly.
The President insisted that the call for reparations is not merely about financial compensation but also about justice, restitution and dignity for millions of Africans whose ancestors endured slavery and colonial exploitation.
“We must demand reparations for the enslavement of our people, and the colonisation of our land that resulted in the theft of our natural resources, as well as the looting of artefacts and other items of cultural heritage that have yet to be returned,” Mahama stressed.
Ghana, he said, would lead efforts to rally African and Caribbean nations behind the reparations motion, urging the UN to demonstrate the moral courage needed to right one of history’s greatest wrongs.
