President John Dramani Mahama announced on Sunday that Ghana will formally table a landmark resolution at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on March 25 declaring the trafficking in enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity, following African Union (AU) endorsement at ministerial level.
In a statement issued by the Presidency on Sunday, February 15, 2026, President Mahama disclosed that the resolution has been adopted by the African Union, paving the way for its submission to the global body. He stated that all peoples of African descent have been waiting for this day, adding that the truth cannot be buried and the legal foundations are sound while the moral imperative is undeniable.
The president spoke in his role as AU Champion for Advancing the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations during his report to the 39th Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He revealed that the zero draft of the resolution is ready and will be circulated to all member states for consultation and coordinated advocacy.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa addressed the 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the AU Summit on Wednesday, February 11, calling for unified African Union support as Ghana prepares to table the resolution. He stated that Ghana intends to present the resolution at the UN General Assembly on March 25, seeking universal recognition of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as crimes against humanity.
The March 25 date coincides with the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, a date set aside by the UN to honour millions affected by the centuries long trade. United Nations records indicate that the transatlantic slave trade, which spanned approximately 400 years, forcibly removed more than 15 million African men, women and children to North and South America, the Caribbean and Europe.
Ablakwa noted that the transatlantic slave trade decimated African populations and laid the foundations for global economic inequalities that persist today. He emphasized that the initiative seeks not only recognition but a global legal framework to advance healing, accountability, restitution and restorative justice.
President Mahama first announced Ghana’s intention to table the resolution during his address at the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, signaling Ghana’s renewed commitment to the global reparations agenda. He stated that reparatory justice will not be handed to Africans but like independence, it must be secured through unity and determination.
The president described 2025, designated as the African Union Year of Justice through Reparations, as a turning point in the push for accountability and redress for Africans and people of African descent affected by slavery and colonialism. He noted that significant steps have already been taken including establishment of an AU Coordination Team and a Committee of Experts on Reparations.
President Mahama reported progress in setting up continental mechanisms on reparations, including the AU Coordination Team on Reparations, the AU Committee of Experts on Reparations, and a Reference Group of Legal Experts to provide legal and technical guidance. He described the AU’s designation of 2025 as the Year of Justice for Africans through Reparations as a strategic policy step rather than a symbolic gesture.
Ghana was honored to have championed reparations efforts in 2025 and welcomed the recommendation of the AU’s 7th Mid Year Coordination Meeting to transition current advocacy into a Decade of Reparations from 2026 to 2035. The president urged member states to establish national reparations commissions, engage formally with historical perpetrator states, and support the proposed Decade of Reparations to sustain momentum.
Minister Ablakwa stated that Ghana has engaged extensively with experts within the African Union, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, and the wider African diaspora to build broad based support for the initiative. He stressed that by standing together at the UN, Africa signals to the world that it will no longer allow the scale of its historical suffering to be minimized.
The Foreign Affairs Minister underscored that the transatlantic slave trade and slavery were not just historical events but ongoing legacies that continue to shape African development trajectories. He stated it is imperative that Africa remains steadfast in pursuit of justice, recognizing that the scars of colonialism and slavery continue to impact development.
President Mahama earlier announced Ghana’s intention to table the resolution during the annual New Year exchange of greetings with members of the Diplomatic Corps at the Presidency on Tuesday, February 10. He outlined Ghana’s foreign policy priorities for 2026, emphasizing diplomacy as a strategic tool for economic transformation, regional stability and global cooperation.
The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to Ghana Imane Ouaadil, congratulated Ghana on its peaceful democratic transition and described the country as a beacon of democracy in Africa. She commended Ghana’s humanitarian outreach to nations facing crises including recent missions to Jamaica, Sudan, Palestine and Cuba.
President Mahama serves as AU Champion for three portfolios including Gender and Development Issues, African Union Financial Institutions, and Reparations. His multiple champion roles position Ghana at the forefront of key continental initiatives during his tenure as AU First Vice Chairperson elected on Saturday, February 14, at the 39th summit.
The resolution forms part of sustained continental advocacy that has gained momentum through high level engagements with major global institutions including the UN and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), alongside discussions across four continents. The campaign aims to reframe reparations as forward looking instruments for justice, equity and structural transformation.
President Mahama called on current African leaders to pursue justice and restore dignity to African peoples, stating that the work is far from over. He urged all member states to strengthen institutions, establish national reparations commissions, and engage with the global community to secure apologies, restitution and binding agreements.
The initiative has received support from various stakeholders including the CARICOM Reparations Commission, which has been advocating for reparations from European nations for over a decade. Caribbean nations have particular interest given that millions of enslaved Africans were transported to Caribbean islands where they formed majority populations under brutal plantation systems.
Ghana’s leadership on reparations reflects the country’s historical significance as both a major transit point for the transatlantic slave trade through coastal forts including Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, and as the first sub Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957 under Kwame Nkrumah’s Pan Africanist leadership.
The proposed UN resolution seeks formal and universal recognition that could establish precedents for future legal claims and diplomatic negotiations with former colonial powers. Legal experts suggest that such recognition could strengthen moral and political pressure on Western nations to engage seriously with reparations demands.
