“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.”
“As we implement the 2025 Theme of the Year on Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through reparations, we reaffirm our shared resolve to correct historical wrongs and injustices through restitution, healing, and holistic systemic transformation.”
In Malabo, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, the African Union Champion for Reparations and President of Ghana, made this stirring statement during a progress report on the AU’s 2025 Theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”
Speaking during the African Union’s 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, President Mahama said that the AU Commission and Member States had made significant strides in putting the concept into practice.
He was especially pleased with the Executive Council’s recent decision to shift the emphasis to restitution for ten years, from 2026 to 2036.
“This undoubtedly affords us, as a Union, the opportunity to sustain the momentum for the realisation of this noble cause, as well as map out well-thought-out strategies to mobilise adequate resources to champion implementation of the theme domestically,” President Mahama stated.
In an appeal for international cooperation, President Mahama stated, “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 motherland.”
“Restitution to the African, therefore, is restoration of our full human dignity,” he stated, adding that the movement aims “to speak of history on African terms, of healing deep civilisational wounds and of restoring to African peoples our rightful agency in shaping our past, present, and future.”
According to him, “We cannot speak of development without identity or speak of unity without acknowledging the erasure that has fractured our heritage.” He emphasized the importance of reparations for African progress and unity.
President Mahama promoted strong collaborations, especially with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and emphasized the significance of a single African story on the international scene.
He said that Ghana and Togo will work together to co-sponsor a high-level event in September 2025 on the fringes of the UNGA “to further bolster efforts at achieving the justice and closure which has eluded us for centuries.”
“As we do more to correct historical wrongs, we are reasserting our full humanity. We are reaffirming our sovereignty. We are reigniting the flame of dignity that has always burned within the African soul,” assuring the Union of Ghana’s continued support for this agenda towards “The Africa We Want.”
Source: newsthemegh.com