President John Dramani Mahama has called for a unified African position on the legacy of slavery and racialised chattel enslavement, describing it as “the gravest crime against humanity.”
He made the remarks during a press conference at the African Union (AU) Summit on Sunday, February 15.
Addressing journalists, President Mahama stressed that slavery is prohibited under international law as a peremptory norm from which no derogation is permitted. He explained that Ghana’s proposed resolution on the matter is anchored on three key pillars: historical accuracy, legal defensibility, and continental and diaspora alignment.
“Our approach ensures that the text of this resolution reflects rigorous scholarship, moral clarity, and diplomatic credibility,” he said, noting that Ghana had undertaken extensive consultations to strengthen the proposal.
According to the President, Ghana engaged several international and African institutions in preparing the resolution. These include UNESCO, the Global Group of Experts on Reparations, the Pan-African Lawyers Union, academic institutions, the AU Committee of Experts on Reparations, and the AU Legal Experts Reference Group.
Earlier this month, Ghana hosted the inaugural joint meeting of the AU Committee of Experts on Reparations and the AU Legal Experts Reference Group in Accra to refine the resolution’s text. The government also initiated consultations during the Ghana Diaspora Summit held in December 2025, making the process inclusive and deliberative.
Following expert input, the title of the resolution was refined to: Declaration of the Trafficking in Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity.
President Mahama said the wording was deliberately precise to acknowledge the systematic trafficking of millions of Africans, the racialised and institutionalised nature of chattel enslavement, and the enduring consequences of the crimes.
“The resolution is not just symbolic,” he stressed. “It provides a legal and moral foundation for reparatory justice, African unity, and engagement with the global community on the historical injustices that continue to shape our societies.”
He added that the resolution seeks broad African and diaspora alignment.
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