ABN-MEDIA

​UNITED NATIONS, New York — On a day dedicated to the “International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade,” President John Dramani Mahama took to the podium at the UN General Assembly to demand a fundamental shift in the global economic order and a formal commitment to reparations.
​Delivered on March 25, 2026, the address moved beyond historical reflection, centering on the tangible economic legacy of the slave trade and the “rigged” nature of modern international finance.
​Redefining the Narrative
​President Mahama began by challenging the historical vocabulary of enslavement. He urged the Assembly to adopt language that restores dignity to the millions impacted by the trade.
​”There is no such thing as a slave,” Mahama stated. “There are only human beings who were trafficked and enslaved.”
​He argued that this shift in language is a necessary first step in reclaiming the humanity of ancestors whose identities were stripped by centuries of exploitation.

​The core of the President’s address focused on the “Debt of History.” Mahama asserted that the current prosperity enjoyed by the Global North was built upon the “virtually free labor” of African people. This exploitation, he argued, created a persistent economic disparity that continues to disadvantage the continent today.
​To address this, Mahama proposed a “Global Reset”—exporting his domestic “Resetting Ghana” platform to the international stage. He described the current global financial architecture as structurally biased against African nations and called for a systemic overhaul.
​A Formal Resolution for Justice
​The climax of the address was the official tabling of a resolution for reparatory justice. Mahama was clear that the motion was not a plea for charity.
​Official acknowledgment of the crimes committed.
​Responsibility: Acceptance of the role played by colonial powers.
​Concrete financial and structural redress.
​”We do not seek pity,” Mahama told the delegates. “We seek responsibility and restitution.”

​Closing his address, the President framed the upcoming vote on the resolution as a test of the Assembly’s moral courage. He urged leaders to “stand on the right side of history” to honor both the victims of the past and those currently facing racial discrimination.
​”Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right,” he concluded. “Let our vote on this resolution restore their dignity and humanity.”