Reparations are not money, but a change of the global system – Kwesi Pratt
A Member of the Coordinating Committee of the Pan-African Progressive Front (PPF), Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has stated that reparations for Africa must go beyond financial compensation, stressing that no amount of money can compensate for the atrocities committed during the colonial era.
Speaking on day two of the 13th High-Level Dialogue on Democracy, Governance and Human Rights in Accra on Wednesday, July 30, Mr Pratt challenged the notion that reparations should be reduced to monetary payments or the establishment of financial funds.
The Dialogue, hosted under the theme, "Justice, Rights, Reparations, and State Building", was organised by the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and brought together heads of state, diplomats, civil society actors, academics, and human rights advocates to examine the foundations of African development through justice and equity.
Taking centre stage with his oratorial prowess during the plenary session, Mr Pratt made a typical captivating presentation punctuated by thunderous applause and an overwhelming endorsement during question time.
Displaying his mastery over the subject, having recently launched a book on reparations, the renowned Pan-African activist said, “Now, and in discussing the question of reparation, there are some things that we ought to note." “Look, the capture of some estimates say 12.6 million Africans, and shipping them abroad as beast of burden and so on cannot be paid by any monetary consideration, you know. It cannot be paid for. It is not something that anybody can make good today. You understand?
"So in talking about reparation, we are not simply talking about monetary allocation into a fund and so on. We are talking essentially about resetting the world, about building a new world, a new world which all colonial empires can't collapse,” he stated.
Mr Pratt emphasised that reparations must reflect a total global reset — one that uproots all forms of imperial dominance, whether European, Asian or even African-led.
According to him, colonialism in all its forms must be dismantled to pave the way for genuine equality and freedom for all.
“And it does not matter whether that colonial empire is European or African or Asian. Colonialism is colonialism whether it is perpetrated by an African country or by an European country or by an Asian country. So reparation should mean a commitment to resetting the entire world, to building a world in which all human beings are regarded as equal and treated as equal, to build a new world in which French-speaking African countries are not compelled by anything to place all of their foreign reserves in the central bank of France.”
The veteran journalist also argued that reparations must involve a fundamental rethinking of Africa’s relationship with global institutions and foreign powers.
He said the neocolonial financial systems continue to disadvantage African nations and inhibit their economic independence.
Citing the example of Francophone countries forced to deposit their reserves in the French central bank, Mr Pratt called for systemic change championed by Africans themselves.
“To the extent that they borrow their own money and pay interest on their money, that situation ought to change and it ought to change through the struggles of the African people. It ought to change through an assertion by the African people to accept that we are inferior, that we would no longer accept that the West can dictate human rights, democracy and so on for us.”
To him, true reparations would involve Africans reclaiming their right to self-determination and development, using their own resources for their own advancement.
“We will make our own decisions about ourselves in the same way that the people of Asia should make their own decisions about themselves. That is the point of reparation, resetting the world, building a new world of free people and a people committed to using their own resources to advance their own causes,” he added.
In his keynote address at the opening of the 13th High-Level Dialogue on Democracy, Governance and Human Rights in Accra on Tuesday, July 29, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama called for a decisive action on reparations for Africa, emphasising that the declarations made under the African Union’s Decade of Reparations must not remain symbolic, but should be implemented with urgency and purpose.
He said the continent must take firm ownership of its reparatory justice agenda, noting that the coming decade had already been designated for this critical task.
“2026 to 2036 has been declared as the decade of reparations by the African Union. I also wish to commend the Executive Council for approving the terms of reference for the African Union Commission of Experts on Reparations and the African Union Reference Group of Legal Experts on Reparations. “These are critical milestones, however, we must now move swiftly to operationalize these instruments. We must empower these bodies with the resources, visibility, and mandate to lead us on this noble journey of truth, justice, and restitution. Let this not be another declaration left on paper, let it be a living mandate for action,” he said.
President Mahama acknowledged the efforts of the African Union (AU) so far but underscored that symbolic gestures without meaningful action would not deliver justice to generations of Africans who had borne the brunt of centuries of colonial exploitation and transatlantic slavery.
He therefore urged governments to provide institutional backing to the reparations frameworks and ensure their visibility and impact.
Beyond reparations, President Mahama used the platform to call on stakeholders at the Dialogue to push for the establishment of legally binding mechanisms across AU member states to protect civic space and uphold democratic freedoms.
“I urge this Dialogue to take a firm stand on the need for legally binding frameworks across all member states to safeguard our civic space. We must protect the right to organize, to protest, and participate. “We must preserve the freedom of the press, the voices of the youth, and our women, and marginalized groups must be heard and protected. Democracy cannot thrive in the presence of fear or repression. The legitimacy of our governments depends on the inclusion of all our people. Governments must exist for all our people and not just a few,” he stated.
In his opening statement, Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, reiterated the country’s commitment to supporting African-led initiatives aimed at addressing the lasting legacies of colonial injustice and exploitation.
He called on African countries to close ranks and turn the reparations advocacy into concrete results.
He said that move was long overdue and stressed the need for Ghana to take proactive steps to become a leading voice in promoting fairness, restoring dignity, and reclaiming control for African nations still dealing with the effects of colonial rule.
“We are a country defined by our eternal struggles against the transatlantic slave trade and against neo-colonialism. For us, justice, human rights, and good governance is a deliberate and conscious resolve. You’ll find it in our DNA,” he stated.
The High-Level Dialogue followed the 7th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, a few weeks ago which also focused on reparations
