After victory at UN, what next?

Africa and people of African descent across the world have every reason to regard the recent United Nations General Assembly resolution recognising the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as among the gravest crimes against humanity as a historic victory. 

Adopted on 25 March 2026 with overwhelming support, the resolution marks a major diplomatic milestone for the African Union, the global African family, and all who have long laboured for truth, acknowledgement and justice.

It also reflects the determined leadership of John Dramani Mahama in his capacity as the African Union Champion for Reparations. 

Under his stewardship, Ghana has helped move the global reparations discourse from moral appeal to the centre of multilateral diplomacy.

Clarity

President Mahama deserves commendation for the clarity, courage and consistency with which he has advanced this cause. From rallying African and Caribbean partners to securing African Union backing and presenting the matter before the United Nations, his effort has elevated reparatory justice into a serious instrument of international engagement.

His leadership affirms that Africa is not asking for sympathy; it is asserting historical truth and demanding the seriousness it deserves. Ghana's role has therefore been strategic, principled and visionary.

Yet even as we celebrate, wisdom demands a larger question: what next? Recognition is necessary, but it is not enough. A resolution can shape global memory and strengthen legal and moral argument, but it cannot by itself repair damaged institutions, restore lost wealth, or transform Africa’s position in the global economy.

It is, therefore, both timely and strategic that President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana, in collaboration with the Office for Global Reparations, to organise a high-level conference for the 123 countries that supported and voted for the resolution, aimed at advancing the next phase of the reparations agenda through coordinated global action come June 18 to 19, 2026 in Accra Ghana.

The distortions of the slave trade were far-reaching political, economic, social and civilisational, leaving deep structural consequences that still shape Africa’s development trajectory.

Next phase

This is why the next phase must be defined by strategic reconstruction.

Africa must turn memory into leverage.

At a time when major powers are investing in artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced manufacturing, the continent cannot remain confined to remembrance while others shape the future. 

Africa possesses critical minerals, a youthful population and strategic trade positioning, but resources without value addition and population without skills will not create leverage.

Accordingly, Africa’s response must be deliberate. We must move from exporting raw materials to building African-owned value chains, deepen industrial processing, negotiate meaningful technology transfer, and invest in science and innovation.

Reparatory justice in the twenty-first century cannot be limited to financial claims alone; it must include cultural restitution, institutional renewal, knowledge recovery and industrial advancement. In practical terms, reparations must help Africa recover both memory and agency.

This is where the Office for Global Reparations assumes strategic importance.

It serves not merely as a commemorative platform but as an institutional engine for research, diplomacy, coalition building and policy development.

It can help translate moral momentum into actionable programmes, including historical audits, reparative frameworks, diaspora partnerships and investment pathways linked to restoration and development.

Under President Mahama’s broader vision, such an institution can become a key instrument for repositioning Africa in the global conversation on justice and future power.

In conclusion, I commend the reinforcement by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose diplomatic engagement helped advance Africa Union’s resolution championed by President John Dramani Mahama.

This effort was equally sustained by the solidarity of African-descended communities worldwide.

The task now is to translate recognition into durable institutions, strategic partnerships and tangible gains for Africa and the wider global African family.

The writer is Presidential Special Envoy for Reparations.