Officials and advocates across Africa are rallying behind a continent-wide call for reparatory justice, demanding accountability for the enduring harms of slavery, colonialism, and systemic racism.
The renewed push came during a high-profile African Union (AU) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where leaders framed 2025 as a pivotal year to advance concrete action—not just rhetoric—on reparations.
Held ahead of the 38th AU Summit, the pre-launch event for next year’s theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” saw impassioned appeals from Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Monique Nsanzabaganwa. Both stressed that centuries of exploitation have left deep scars, from economic inequality to entrenched racial biases, which still hinder progress today.
“This isn’t about dwelling on the past,” Ablakwa told attendees. “It’s about rectifying the systemic disparities that stem from the past. Reparations are a matter of dignity, justice, and finally closing the door on a cycle of harm that has spanned generations.” He linked the 2025 campaign to the AU’s Agenda 2063, a long-term blueprint emphasizing economic sovereignty and unity, arguing that Africa cannot achieve its development goals without addressing historical wrongs.
Nsanzabaganwa echoed this urgency, describing the transatlantic slave trade and colonial exploitation as “calculated acts of violence” that stripped Africans of resources, autonomy, and opportunity. “The theft was not just of people or land,” she said. “It was the theft of futures.” Her remarks underscored the AU’s stance that reparations go beyond financial compensation, calling instead for a holistic reckoning with how historical crimes fuel present-day inequities.
The 2025 theme, set to be formally adopted during this weekend’s AU Assembly meetings, signals a strategic shift toward institutionalizing reparations as a continental priority. While past efforts have often focused on symbolic gestures or bilateral negotiations—such as Ghana’s “Year of Return” campaign in 2019—the AU’s framework aims to unify fragmented national initiatives into a cohesive, pan-African strategy.
Observers note, however, that the path forward remains fraught. Global reparations movements, from the Caribbean’s CARICOM Ten-Point Plan to grassroots demands in the U.S. and Europe, have faced political resistance and debates over what form reparations should take. The AU has yet to outline specific measures, though Ablakwa hinted that proposals could include debt relief, repatriation of stolen artifacts, and investments in education and healthcare.
Critics argue that without binding commitments from former colonial powers, the campaign may struggle to gain traction. Yet proponents counter that the AU’s collective voice could pressure international bodies to take the issue seriously. “This isn’t a plea,” Ablakwa insisted. “It’s a rightful claim.”
As African heads of state prepare to finalize the 2025 agenda, the reparations debate is poised to test the continent’s diplomatic influence—and its resolve to turn centuries of struggle into tangible justice.
