During a high-level United Nations special event on March 24, 2026, President John Dramani Mahama delivered a powerful address where he famously declared, “Slavery is wrong now, and it was wrong then”.
Addressing world leaders on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, President Mahama challenged the notion that historical atrocities should only be judged by the norms of their time. He emphasized that the widespread nature of the practice did not make it right, stating, “Just because everybody is doing something doesn’t make it right”.
He described the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” and a system designed to deny African people their basic human dignity.
Acting as the African Union Champion for Reparations, he announced Ghana’s intention to table a formal UN resolution to officially recognize slavery as a crime against humanity and push for reparatory justice.
He clarified that the demand for reparations is a pursuit of truth, accountability, and justice, rather than a request for favors or charity.
President Mahama argued that acknowledging the “full horror” of these transgressions is essential for global healing and for addressing modern-day inequalities.
