By: Ashiadey Dotse
President John Dramani Mahama has said reparations for the transatlantic slave trade must not be seen as an act of charity but as a matter of justice.
Addressing the IPR Ghana and Africa Public Relations Association Knowledge Sharing Conference in Accra on Friday October 3, 2025, the President reminded participants that millions of Africans were enslaved, transported across the seas, and forced to build wealth for other nations. Yet when slavery was abolished, it was the slave owners who were compensated for the loss of their “property,” while the enslaved and their descendants received nothing.
“That injustice, I dare say, remains the greatest crime against humanity to date,” he stated, adding that Ghana will move a motion at the United Nations General Assembly next year in support of global reparations.
President Mahama noted that the African Union has already declared 2025 to 2030 as the decade of reparations, and Ghana will play a leading role in pushing the agenda. He cited voices such as Professor Hilary Beckles of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, who describe reparations as a call for collaborative development partnerships.
He also praised advocates like British journalist Laura Trevelyan, who acknowledged her family’s role in slavery and is now campaigning for reparative action. According to him, such steps show the power of human connection in advancing justice.
