Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama told the 81st UN General Assembly on Thursday that the world must move from acknowledging the transatlantic slave trade to repairing its legacy. He also demanded an end to what he called collective punishment in Gaza and the lifting of the economic embargo on Cuba.
Reparations. President Mahama said Ghana's resolution A/RES/80/250, adopted on 25 March 2026, was passed by 123 member states. It affirms that the transatlantic slave trade and chattel enslavement of Africans were the gravest crimes against humanity. He said repair requires structural change: fairer trade rules, an end to predatory resource extraction, an end to discriminatory credit ratings, relief from unsustainable debt, and value addition to Africa's raw materials on the continent. He said the Netherlands, Germany and France had made positive moves to join the conversation on reparatory justice.
President Mahama, the African Union's Champion for Reparatory Justice, was also due to lead a high-level side event on next steps for reparatory justice, focused on the return and restitution of cultural properties and heritage. It is co-hosted by Ghana, Germany and France, with eleven other heads of state, heads of government and senior leaders expected to contribute. It follows a consultative conference in Accra from 17 to 19 June 2026, which paved the way for a Global Advisory Panel on Reparatory Justice, an Expert Panel on the Restitution of Cultural Artefacts and a Global Legal Panel on Reparatory Justice.
Palestine. President Mahama said the Assembly should stop using diplomatic euphemisms about Gaza. He cited the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab and said more than 20,000 children had been killed in the conflict. He described collective punishment, enforced starvation and mass displacement as flagrant violations of international law.
He reaffirmed Ghana's recognition of the State of Palestine and its support for a two-state solution. He also condemned Hamas's attack and called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law. "Our moral standards cannot be selective," President Mahama said.
Cuba. President Mahama reiterated Ghana's call for the immediate lifting of the embargo on Cuba and urged the world to back the country's new Economic and Social Programme. He said measures that impose collective economic hardship on ordinary citizens run counter to human dignity and international law.
Security Council and debt. President Mahama said Africa, with 1.5 billion people, must have permanent Security Council representation with full veto rights. He said developing countries borrow at rates up to eight times higher than industrialised ones, and called for climate finance in the form of grants rather than loans.
African Union chairmanship. President Mahama said Ghana will use its AU chairmanship from January 2027 to push for deeper continental integration and stronger African cooperation on peace, security and economic development, with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) central to the agenda. He said Ghana would accelerate AfCFTA implementation, whose Secretariat is hosted in Accra, and work to have Africa speak on the global stage with one undivided voice.
He described the trade area as the engine of intra-African trade, structural transformation and industrial growth. He said Africa would process its critical minerals at home, build local industries and retain the value of its resources, rather than allow a new scramble for them. He also told fellow African leaders that they must put their own houses in order, calling for transparency, accountability and a fight against corruption.
Ghana's priorities are set out in an AU Chairmanship Strategy Document commissioned by President Mahama. It covers sustainable and predictable financing for the AU, stronger institutional structures, peace and security, climate change and regional integration, and advances the AU's Agenda 2063. At a meeting on the strategy, Ambassador Haddadi commended Ghana for completing its preparations six months ahead of schedule and said they should serve as a blueprint for future AU chairmanships. Ghana and the AU are also leading side initiatives in New York to build wider continental support for the reparatory justice agenda.
Background. The United States has maintained its embargo on Cuba since the early 1960s, and the General Assembly has repeatedly voted to condemn it. President Mahama made a similar call last year, when he recalled that Cubans shed their blood on African soil in the fight against apartheid.
Ghana marks 70 years of independence in March 2027, giving the country two significant continental milestones in the same year.