IN a compelling address to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo issued a resounding call for reparations to address the deep-rooted historical injustices stemming from the trans-Atlantic slave trade and centuries of colonial exploitation.
President Akufo-Addo, speaking candidly, emphasised the profound impact of the slave trade on the world’s socio-economic structure. He stated, ‘It is time to acknowledge openly that much of Europe and the United States have been built from the vast wealth harvested from the sweat, tears, blood, and horrors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the centuries of colonial exploitation.’
Reflecting on the enduring consequences of these historical injustices, Akufo-Addo remarked, ‘It cannot be easy to build confident and prosperous societies from nations that, for centuries, had their natural resources looted and their peoples traded as commodities.’
The Ghanaian President made it clear that the intent was not to evade responsibility but to confront the stark realities of history. He stated, ‘We do not seek to shirk any responsibility for the problems we face that are of our own making, and do not want to be a scar on anybody’s conscience.’
He added, ‘But, we cannot, and the world should not pretend that the present-day economic and social conditions of Africa have nothing to do with the historical injustices that have fashioned the structures of the world.’
Akufo-Addo highlighted the long-standing reluctance to address the consequences of the slave trade but noted a gradual shift in this perspective. He asserted, ‘For centuries, the world has been unwilling and unable to confront the realities of the consequences of the slave trade, but gradually this is changing, and it is time to bring the subject of reparations firmly to the fore.’
He added: ‘Granted that current generations are not the ones that engaged in the slave trade, but that grand inhuman enterprise was state-sponsored and deliberate,’ noting that the benefits are clearly interwoven with the present-day economic architecture of the nations that designed and executed it.
The Ghanaian Pre
sident concluded with a passionate plea, stating, ‘Reparations must be paid for the slave trade,’ drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience. He acknowledged that no amount of money could fully compensate for the horrors endured by millions of Africans forced into labour without compensation in the Americas and the Caribbean.
Furthermore, President Akufo-Addo called for the return of illicit funds flowing out of Africa, a critical step towards rectifying the continent’s economic disparities.
Amidst concerns about the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals, Akufo-Addo expressed hope, saying, ‘It is within our capacity to turn things around.’ He suggested that a necessary starting point would be to reform the structures of the United Nations, fostering trust and reigniting global solidarity.
