Ghana has renewed calls for reparatory justice for Africa and people of African descent at the African Union summit in Luanda, Angola.
President John Dramani Mahama, the African Union’s Champion for Reparations, briefed fellow African leaders on progress in the global campaign.
The move follows a landmark UN General Assembly resolution adopted in March 2026, which recognised the trafficking and enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
The resolution was supported by 123 countries, with three voting against and 52 abstaining.
Ghana hosted a Next Steps Conference in Accra in June to discuss how to turn the UN resolution into practical action. The meeting also expanded the reparations agenda to include indentured labour.
Three bodies were established to support the process: a High-Level Advisory Council on Reparatory Justice, a Global Experts Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Heritage and a Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice.
The African Union has also declared 2026–2036 the Decade for Reparations.
Ghana is expected to host a high-level side event during the 81st UN General Assembly in September, where the panels will present progress reports.
Ghana says it will continue to work with African and Caribbean countries and the African diaspora to advance calls for justice, restitution and dignity.
