At the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting held in Equatorial Guinea, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama delivered a powerful call for collective commitment towards reparative justice and a renewed Pan-African identity.
Speaking to African heads of state and leaders from across the continent, President Mahama declared that Africa’s quest for justice for past and ongoing historical wrongs was no longer a murmur but a resounding, unified demand.
President Mahama’s address was anchored on the African Union’s 2025 theme: Justice for Africans and People of African Descent to Reparations. He described it as both noble and urgent, and commended the AU for the approval of the terms of reference for the African Union Committee of Experts on Reparations and the AU Reference Group of Legal Experts on Reparations.
“These expert and legal frameworks should guide this noble journey, and we call upon all nations within and beyond Africa to partner with us in shaping a more just and equitable world for the sons and daughters of the African motherland.”
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama
His call to action marked a bold statement of Africa’s readiness to take ownership of its historical narrative and push for systemic change.
He stressed that reparative justice must not only focus on financial restitution but must also aim at “healing, restitution, and holistic systemic transformation.”
“Africa’s call for reparative justice is no longer a whisper. It is a unified demand grounded in historical truth, moral clarity, and our unwavering commitment to dignity.”
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama
He drew from the wisdom of Pan-African icon Marcus Garvey, quoting: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, their origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”
According to President Mahama, restitution to Africa is fundamentally about restoring the continent’s full dignity and reclaiming its rightful place in shaping its own destiny.
Speaking with One Voice
President Mahama emphasised that Africa must speak with one voice on the global stage in advocating for reparations.
He encouraged the strengthening of partnerships with the Caribbean community (CARICOM), which he acknowledged as long-standing allies in the reparations struggle.
He lauded the AU-CARICOM Joint Mechanism as a step in the right direction and anticipated the upcoming African-CARICOM Summit, slated for early September 2025 in Addis Ababa, as a key platform to consolidate this collaboration.
A high-level side event that was initially planned for the AU Mid-Year Meeting but postponed—the High-Level Panel on Reparations, Memory, and Sovereignty—will now be held on the margins of the AU-CARICOM Summit.
Common African Position
The panel, President Mahama noted, is expected to showcase the importance of developing a “common African position” and restoring heritage resources, which have long been neglected or stolen through colonialism and exploitation.
In a further demonstration of commitment to the reparations agenda, President Mahama announced that Ghana and Togo will co-sponsor a high-level event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025.
The event, he said, will serve as a rallying point to galvanize international support for Africa’s call for justice, restitution, and the long overdue closure that generations of Africans have sought.
“We invite all of you to fully participate in this event. As we do more to correct historical wrongs, we’re reassessing our full humanity. We’re reaffirming our sovereignty reigniting the flame of dignity that has always been within the African soul.”
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama
In closing, President Mahama assured the continent and its allies that Ghana remains fully committed to the reparations agenda and the broader vision of African unity and justice. “You can count on the support of Ghana in this collaborative agenda for the Africa we all want,” he ended.
President Mahama’s speech comes at a critical juncture when global conversations around decolonisation, restitution of stolen artefacts, and reparative justice are gaining traction.
The Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, which brings together regional economic communities and AU member states, served as a platform not only to reflect on the continental agenda but also to map out practical strategies to mobilise domestic resources to implement key AU decisions, including the reparations theme for 2025.
With Africa’s unified stance gaining momentum, President Mahama’s leadership aims to steer this narrative from symbolic gestures toward tangible and transformational outcomes.
President Mahama’s intervention signalled Ghana’s continued leadership in the Pan-African movement and the quest for historical justice.
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