The African Union has unanimously endorsed Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama’s initiative to table a resolution at the United Nations seeking global recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity. The resolution also seeks reparations, including the return of looted artefacts.
President Mahama made the announcement on Sunday while presenting his report to the 39th Assembly of Heads of State and Government, in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Advancing the Cause of Justice and the Payment of Reparations.
The resolution, first introduced during the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, represents the culmination of year-long efforts to elevate Africa’s reparatory justice agenda on the global stage.
“The legal foundations are sound and the moral imperative is undeniable. Peoples of African descent have waited for this day”, he stated.
He emphasized that the move marks a turning point in African unity – not as a symbolic or commemorative act, but as a strategic international commitment. He referred to the AU’s designation of 2025 as the Year of Justice for Africans through Reparations.
President Mahama urged member states to establish national reparations commissions, formally engage with historical perpetrator states, and support the proposed Decade of Reparations to ensure sustained continental commitment beyond the commemorative year.
The Ghanaian leader is also expected to seek similar endorsement at the 50th CARICOM Summit on February 24, 2026.
The planned presentation to the UN General Assembly in March is expected to mark a pivotal moment in Africa’s campaign for global recognition and redress of historical injustices against African peoples.
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