President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that Ghana, with the support of the African Union, will submit a resolution to the United Nations General Assembly in March seeking international recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity.
The announcement was made on Sunday, February 15, during the closing session of the African Union’s annual summit in Addis Ababa, following consultations with African member states.
“This United Nations resolution is only the first step,” Mahama said. “We believe that with the consultations we have conducted and the support of the African Union, the truth will finally be recognized: the transatlantic slave trade was the greatest injustice and the greatest crime against humanity.”
Strive for International Acknowledgment and Compensation
Mr Mahama explained that the draft resolution focuses on the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialised system of enslavement imposed on African peoples, describing it as the gravest crime against humanity ever recorded.
Since becoming the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence in 1957, Ghana has maintained a prominent role in global reparations discourse. This stance was reinforced in November 2023, when former president Nana Akufo-Addo called for continental unity in seeking reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and colonial-era injustices.
Spanning several centuries, the transatlantic slave trade resulted in the forced removal of millions of Africans from West and Central Africa. UNESCO estimates that between 15 and 20 million Africans were captured and shipped to the Americas and the Caribbean in brutal conditions that led to immense loss of life and generational trauma.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), whose member states have also stepped-up calls for reparatory justice, is collaborating on the project, Mahama stressed.
“To Restore Historical Truth”
“For us, it is not just about financial compensation. It is about restoring historical truth.” He stated.
He emphasized that gaining worldwide recognition through the UN General Assembly is the urgent goal.
“Our goal is to submit the resolution to the Assembly, to let the world recognize that this happened and that there has been no greater injustice against humanity in recent or world history than the slave trade,” he added. “Adopting this resolution will not erase history, but it will acknowledge it.”
As international talks on historical accountability and reparations pick up steam in Africa and the Caribbean, the proposed resolution is anticipated to provoke extensive diplomatic controversy among UN member states.