By Ashiadey Dotse
President John Dramani Mahama has said Africa played a major role in building the modern world, but its contributions continue to be ignored.
Speaking at a high-level special event on reparatory justice at United Nations headquarters on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, he said the labour, resources and sacrifices of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade significantly contributed to the development of Europe and the Americas.
According to him, enslaved Africans helped build economies through labour on plantations, in mines and on major infrastructure projects, yet their role has not been properly acknowledged in global history.
“We have paved roads, built railways, constructed buildings and worked on plantations, yet what greets us is silence,” he said.
President Mahama stressed that the transatlantic slave trade was built on a false belief that Africans were inferior, a claim he said has no scientific or factual basis. He added that this ideology allowed enslaved Africans to be treated as property rather than human beings.
He explained that millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homes, stripped of their identities and subjected to harsh conditions. Many died during the Middle Passage, while others were forced into lifelong labour.
The president noted that the wealth generated from this labour played a key role in the economic growth of many nations, making slavery a highly profitable system at the expense of African lives.
He also raised concerns about attempts to distort or downplay the history of slavery, warning that such actions contribute to the continued neglect of Africa’s contributions to global development.
President Mahama emphasised the need to recognise the trafficking and enslavement of Africans as a crime against humanity, describing it as a necessary step towards justice and healing.
He called on the international community to acknowledge the true impact of slavery, properly recognise Africa’s role in shaping the modern world and support efforts towards reparatory justice.
The president added that reclaiming the dignity and humanity of Africans is essential to correcting historical narratives and ensuring that future generations understand the full truth of the past.
