By Dickson Omobola

Some African leaders have declared that reparations is one of the ways through which the continent can rebuild its economy to a modern and competitive level.

Within the African context, reparations is a call for redress for the historical and ongoing harms caused by colonialism, slavery and systemic racism, including not only compensation for past injustices but also addressing contemporary challenges like climate change and economic exploitation.

The leaders spoke during the delivery of a progress report on the African Union, AU?s, 2025 theme: ?Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,? held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

According to them, these funds would correct centuries of exploitation as well as enable sustainable development, infrastructure modernisation and investment in education and healthcare which are the key pillars of sovereignty.

Speaking during the session, President of Ghana and the African Union Champion for Reparations, John Mahama, expressed satisfaction with the recent decision by the Executive Council to extend the focus on reparations for a decade, covering the period from 2026 to 2036.

He said: ?This undoubtedly affords us, as a Union, the opportunity to sustain the momentum for the realisation of this noble cause, as well as map out well-thought-out strategies to mobilise adequate resources to champion implementation of the theme domestically.

?Reparations must shift from public discourse to state policy. Every African government must prioritize reparations as a national project, integrating them into diplomatic agendas and legal frameworks. Collective action through the African Union and other regional bodies will strengthen negotiations, ensuring unified demands.?

Mahama urged all nations, within and beyond Africa, to partner in shaping a more just and equitable world.

He said: ?Restitution to the African, therefore, is restoration of our full human dignity. The movement aims to speak of history on African terms, of healing deep civilisational wounds and of restoring to African peoples our rightful agency in shaping our past, present and future.

?We cannot speak of development without identity or speak of unity without acknowledging the erasure that has fractured our heritage. Africa’s true independence hinges on securing reparations. Only through reparations can African nations rebuild their economies to a modern, competitive level. These funds would correct centuries of exploitation, enabling sustainable development, infrastructure modernisation and investment in education and healthcare key pillars of sovereignty.

?The struggle for reparations is arduous, as none of the former colonial powers will willingly agree to pay these substantial sums. Historical injustices have been systematically ignored, and the political will to rectify them remains lacking.

Overcoming this resistance requires persistent advocacy and international pressure.

?Ghana and Togo will co-sponsor a high-level event in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in September 2025 to further bolster efforts at achieving the justice and closure which has eluded us for centuries. As we do more to correct historical wrongs, we are reasserting our full humanity.

?This is not a request, it is the rightful demand of African nations. We reject handouts and empty humanitarian gestures. What we insist upon is full and comprehensive restitution for centuries of theft, including financial compensation for generations of forced labour, systemic violence, and stolen resources.

?Technology transfer to bridge industrialisation gaps and empower self-sufficient economies.?

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