President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has announced that Ghana will table a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly in March, seeking global recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity.
Speaking at a high-level panel on reparations during the African Union Summit under the theme Reparations, Memory and Sovereignty in Adisababa on Friday, 13 February, 2026, Mr. Mahama said: “I appear before you here today not only as President of the Republic of Ghana and AU Champion on Reparations, but as an African, one among over a billion people whose collective identity still bears the enduring imprints of historical injustice.”
He described the initiative as “not symbolic diplomacy. It’s a necessary moral clarification of history,” and called on all African Union member states, regional economic communities, local authorities, and international partners to support the resolution. A zero draft of the proposed resolution will be circulated to member states for consultation and coordinated advocacy ahead of the 39th Assembly of the African Union.
Mahama emphasized that restitution of Africa’s heritage is not merely about returning artifacts, but about justice, sovereignty, and restoring memory. “It is civilizational repair. It is the healing of deep historical wounds. It is Africa narrating her own story on African terms,” he said.
He warned that development cannot be achieved without identity, and unity cannot be realized without acknowledging historical erasure.
“Our sacred objects, our royal regalia, our ancestral artifacts were not merely removed. They were violently severed from the spiritual, intellectual, and civilizational ecosystems that gave them meaning,” Mahama said.
The President also called for holistic reparative justice encompassing cultural restitution, economic redress, political empowerment, and psychological healing, stressing that these pillars are interconnected and essential for the continent’s sovereignty.
“Let 2026 in Addis Ababa mark a turning point. Let it be said that Africa chose to honor its past and define its future. Let us transform memory into policy, grievances into collective strategy, and history into sovereign action. Let us not defer justice. Let us not postpone dignity. Let us act, and let us act together.”
