Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Okudzeto Ablakwa, has stated that the current global push for reparatory justice should be viewed as a direct continuation of past liberation victories.
Speaking at the opening of the High-Level Consultative Conference on Reparatory Justice in Accra, Ablakwa highlighted Africa’s enduring resilience against slavery, colonialism, and racial oppression, framing the reparations agenda as the next frontier in a centuries-long struggle for international transformation.
“We have won the battle against slavery, we won the battle against colonialism, we won the battle against apartheid, and we are confident that we shall win the battle against reparatory injustice. We shall win that battle,” he said.
To contextualise this momentum, Ablakwa referenced key historical milestones, including the British Parliament’s 1824 Consolidated Slave Trade Act—a pivotal turning point in the formal abolition of slavery—and the upcoming Juneteenth global observances.
He argued that these markers prove reparatory justice aligns with a well-established history of correcting systemic wrongs, demanding that the transatlantic slave trade be treated with the same moral and legal gravity as other internationally compensated atrocities.
“Just as other atrocities receive reparatory justice, so shall the transatlantic enslavement also have its day in the court of justice,” he added.
Convened by President John Dramani Mahama, the “Next Steps Conference on Reparatory Justice” runs from June 17-19, 2026, and has drawn presidents, prime ministers, and senior officials from over 80 nations.
Notable attendees include the leaders of Senegal, Namibia, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Barbados, alongside the Vice Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, the Speaker of the Algerian Parliament, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Taking place just three months after the landmark United Nations Resolution A/RES/80/250 declared transatlantic enslavement the gravest crime against humanity, the Accra summit unites political leaders, academics, and advocates to forge a coordinated international framework to address the enduring contemporary impacts of the slave trade.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
