By Daniel Bampoe
Ghana has taken a bold step onto the world stage, with President John Dramani Mahama announcing at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that the country will sponsor a motion recognizing the transatlantic slave trade as the greatest crime against humanity.
Delivering his address in New York on Thursday, September 25, 2025, President Mahama said it was long overdue for the international community to confront the full scale of the horrors of slavery, its devastating impact on Africa, and its enduring legacy on the global order.
“The slave trade must be recognised as the greatest crime against humanity. As African Champion on reparations, Ghana intends to introduce a motion in this August body to that effect,” Mahama declared to a packed Assembly hall.
Ghana’s Role In Global Reparations
Ghana, which once served as one of the most significant departure points for millions of enslaved Africans shipped to the Americas and Europe, has positioned itself as a global leader in the campaign for reparations and historical justice.
President John Mahama emphasized that Ghana’s unique historical position gave it not only the moral responsibility but also the legitimacy to champion the cause of reparations and justice for the descendants of enslaved Africans.
“Justice demands recognition, accountability, and reparative measures. Anything less is an affront to the memory of those who suffered and perished,” he insisted.
Historical Impact And Present-Day Realities
The President explained that the transatlantic slave trade was not merely a dark chapter of history but a crime whose repercussions continue to shape modern inequalities.
He argued that the centuries of forced labor, violence, and displacement imposed on Africans laid the foundation for systemic economic disparities and racial injustice visible across the world today.
He called on world leaders not to treat slavery as a “historical footnote” but as a crime whose impact still reverberates. Recognition, he said, was crucial for genuine healing, reconciliation, and the dismantling of structural injustices.
A Moral Imperative, Not Symbolism
President John Mahama urged the international community to see Ghana’s upcoming motion not as a symbolic gesture but as a moral necessity.
“This is not merely about words on paper; it is about a global commitment to justice and equality. The motion represents a step toward building a fairer and more just world,” he told the Assembly.
Ghana’s Historical Responsibility
The President reminded delegates that Ghana’s castles and forts along the coast, such as Cape Coast and Elmina, remain haunting reminders of the slave trade’s brutality.
These historic sites, now UNESCO heritage monuments, bear witness to the suffering of millions of Africans who were shackled, imprisoned, and shipped across the Atlantic.
For John Mahama, this history strengthens Ghana’s resolve to lead the international campaign for reparations and to push for slavery’s recognition as the most heinous crime against humanity.
Rallying Africa and the World
The President pledged Ghana’s commitment to work with other African nations and the African Union (AU) to advance the reparations agenda globally.
He also urged leaders from the Caribbean and other regions with populations descended from enslaved Africans to join forces in lobbying the UN to pass the motion.
His intervention at the UN comes at a time when calls for reparations have gained momentum worldwide, particularly from Caribbean nations under the CARICOM Reparations Commission and African states demanding justice for centuries of exploitation.
