Ghana is hosting a two-day African Union (AU) meeting on reparations as the country steps up its role as the bloc’s designated champion for advancing claims tied to slavery, colonialism and historical exploitation.
The gathering in Accra brings together the African Union Committee of Experts on Reparations and the African Union Legal Experts on Reparations in a joint bureau session aimed at strengthening coordination on what the AU has framed as a structured continental programme, rather than a purely moral campaign.
According to Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana would pursue the mandate through “credible and coordinated” multilateral engagement, describing reparations as a matter of justice for Africans and people of African descent. He pointed to Ghana’s role as a key site in the transatlantic slave trade, with forts and castles along its coastline serving as departure points for Africans forcibly removed from the continent.
Ablakwa said the slave trade functioned as a sustained economic system of exploitation and argued that Africa’s reparations agenda should be treated as a central diplomatic issue, not a peripheral one. He cited historical precedents where reparations had been paid for past crimes, calling for strategic engagement to ensure Africa’s position is effectively articulated within the multilateral system.
The meeting was convened under African Union Assembly Decision 884, which elevated reparations into a flagship programme and created dedicated expert mechanisms to support implementation, according to Ambassador Amr Aljowaily, director of the AU’s Citizens and Diaspora Directorate, speaking on behalf of the commission chairperson.
Aljowaily said the session is intended to consolidate the AU’s institutional architecture on reparations by aligning technical and legal workstreams to support policy development, diplomatic outreach and potential legal strategies. He said the agenda is consistent with aspirations in the AU’s Agenda 2063 development blueprint, and thanked Ghana for hosting and leading the initiative.
Advocate Kingston Magaya, acting chair of the AU legal experts group, framed reparations as a legal imperative grounded in international law and human dignity, arguing that slavery, colonialism and related practices continue to shape Africa’s social and economic outcomes. He said the legal experts will focus on developing principles and strategies aligned with international norms, while coordinating with other AU mechanisms.
Dr Jane Mufamadi, chair of the committee of experts, said the technical group is focused on developing a common African position and a coherent programme of action. She stressed inclusive engagement and knowledge-sharing to ensure the agenda reflects both historical realities and current challenges.
The Accra meeting is expected to shape the next phase of the AU’s engagement, including coordinated approaches to elevate Africa’s voice on historical injustice in global forums.
