President of Ghana Receives Global Group of Experts on Reparationsto Advance a Unified Reparations Agenda

Accra, 19th December; In a landmark moment for the global reparations movement,
President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana welcomed a special delegation of leading
advocates and experts from across the African diaspora to align on a unified,
intercontinental reparations agenda.
The group, which comprises experts from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America
and the United States thanked President Mahama for his political leadership in
championing the cause of reparations within the African continent.
They also called on the President to encourage other African leaders to choose courage
over comfort by aligning with civil society and affected communities across global Africa,
to demand for reparatory justice.
During the meeting, the group of experts reflected on the extensive work each
organisation in the collective has been doing to advance the reparatory justice agenda in
their respective geographies and spaces. They presented to the President priorities to be
undertaken as part of the upcoming African Union (AU) Decade of Reparations. Key
among these issues is the strengthening of collaboration and transcontinental
coordination between state and non-state actors. They commended the increased role of
the AU on reparatory justice and stressed the importance of strategic coherence and unity
among the political leadership in Africa. The group also emphasised the importance of
distinguishing the unique nature and history of the trans-Atlantic trafficking and chattel
enslavement of Africans, elevating the ongoing harm of the unresolved historical crimes
against humanity. They called on President Mahama to play a facilitative role in ensuring
that the voices of Africans and Afrodescendants in the diaspora globally remain at the
center of the reparations advocacy.
The group, which includes civil society practitioners, strategists, feminists, philanthropists,
academics and affected community advocates, offered to complement the efforts of the
newly constituted AU Committee of Experts on Reparations (AUCER) and other
mechanisms established to pursue justice for Africans and people of African descent
through reparations.
In response, President Mahama expressed his commitment to the shared vision for
reparative justice and continental leadership.
Earlier on Wednesday 17th December, the group met with the Hon. Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, as well as the Presidential Envoy on Reparations, Dr.
Ekwow Spio-Garbrah. The meeting discussed ways to solidify interactions between
government and civil society groups working on reparatory justice in and outside of the
continent. The Minister of Foreign Affairs affirmed Ghana’s commitment to the reparatory
justice agenda and reiterated Ghana’s continued interest in championing the cause of
justice for Africans and Afrodescendants through reparations.
ABOUT THE GROUP
The Global Group of Experts on Reparations is a collective of practitioners, political
leaders, academics, advocates and philanthropists working to advance the reparatory
justice agenda for Africans and People of African Descent. The individuals come from
countries and geographies in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and the United
States. The meetings with the Foreign Minister and the President were facilitated by the
African Union-ECOSOCC, Trust Africa and Reform Initiatives.