WeeklySA_AdminMORAL: African leaders and diaspora representatives have adopted a landmark global framework, demanding that the world move beyond expressions of regret to concrete reparations, debt relief and cultural restitution for the enduring legacy of slavery and colonialism…
By Nicholas Mwangi
Efforts to advance reparatory justice for Africa and people of African descent continue to gain momentum following the conclusion of a three-day high-level conference in Accra, Ghana, attended by African heads of state, policymakers, scholars, activists, and representatives of the African diaspora.
The meeting, dubbed “The Next Steps on Reparatory Justice,” sought to chart a concrete path forward for the global reparations movement and build on growing international recognition of the historical injustices of slavery, colonialism, apartheid, and genocide. It built upon the United Nations General Assembly’s landmark adoption in 2025 of Resolution A/RES/80/250, which elevated reparatory justice as a matter of global concern.
The conference stated that reparatory justice is more than addressing historical grievances, but is fundamentally a human rights and development imperative aimed at restoring the dignity, rights, and development opportunities of Africans and people of African descent worldwide.
The challenge is no longer proving that historical crimes occurred.
The challenge is building the structures capable of delivering justice…
The conference culminated in the adoption of a 19-point Global Strategic Framework for Reparatory Justice, outlining a coordinated international approach to advancing reparations claims and addressing the enduring consequences of slavery and colonialism.
Among the key pillars adopted was a call for an “Acknowledgement of Truth and Apology,” urging states, institutions, churches, and corporations that benefited from the trafficking and enslavement of Africans to issue full, formal, and unconditional apologies. Delegates stressed that apologies must be accompanied by guarantees of non-repetition and recognition of the lasting intergenerational impacts of slavery and colonial rule.
The framework also prioritises “Law and Justice,” committing signatories to strengthen legal and institutional mechanisms through international, regional, and domestic courts to pursue accountability and redress. Participants further called for reforms to criminal justice systems that continue to perpetuate systemic racism against people of African descent.
Another central pillar focuses on Compensatory Reparations, reaffirming that the transatlantic slave trade and the racialised enslavement of Africans constituted crimes against humanity. These crimes created legal obligations under international law and called for the development of mechanisms to determine fair compensation for the descendants of enslaved Africans and communities affected by colonialism, apartheid, and genocide.
Cultural restoration
The conference also reiterated the importance of the “Restitution of Cultural Property and Heritage,” calling for the accelerated return of stolen African artifacts, archives, human remains, and cultural treasures currently held in museums and institutions across Europe and North America.
For decades, African countries have campaigned for the repatriation of cultural objects looted during colonial occupation. The conference reaffirmed support for the Common African Position on the Restitution of Heritage Resources adopted in 2023 and called for stronger coordination through UNESCO and other international bodies.
It linked reparations to ongoing struggles for decolonisation, urging support for territories that remain under colonial administration and calling for the completion of the global decolonization agenda in line with United Nations resolutions.
Importantly, the framework also called for far-reaching “Global Governance Reforms,” including restructuring the United Nations Security Council and international financial institutions to ensure fair representation for Africa and the Global South.
They argued that the current international order continues to reflect colonial-era power relations and disproportionately disadvantages developing countries. The conference therefore endorsed reforms to international debt systems, taxation frameworks, and development financing mechanisms.
The adopted framework also emphasised the need to transform the global economic architecture through stronger South-South cooperation, equitable trade relations, and development partnerships rooted in African priorities rather than external interests.
One of the most discussed outcomes of the conference was the linkage between reparations and contemporary debt burdens facing African and Caribbean nations. The framework therefore called for comprehensive debt relief, debt restructuring, debt cancellation where necessary, and reforms to sovereign credit-rating systems that often penalize countries in the Global South.
The conference further endorsed the strengthening of the proposed African Credit Rating Agency and the urgent need for restitution and special support for countries facing severe historical injustices, including Haiti.
Reparations fund
Recognising the need for practical mechanisms to implement reparatory justice, participants committed to continued consultations on establishing a global reparation fund.
The proposed fund would support reparatory initiatives and development programs aimed at addressing the enduring consequences of slavery, colonialism, and racial discrimination. Delegates stressed that any such mechanism must be transparent, inclusive, and developed through broad international consultation.
Reflecting on the conference, Princess Yanney, Head of Public Affairs Directorate of the Pan African Progressive Front (PPF), told BreakThrough News that the gathering marked an important shift in the global reparation’s conversation.
“Justice is not delivered through declarations alone. It is built through deliberate policies, legal frameworks and measurable commitments,” she said.
Yanney pointed out that contributions from veteran Ghanaian journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley underscored the fact that slavery and colonialism were not accidental historical events, but deliberate systems that generated enormous wealth for empires, corporations, and financial institutions.
“If those systems were built intentionally, then repairing their consequences must be equally intentional,” she said.
According to Yanney, the conference reinforced the view that reparations must move beyond symbolic acknowledgments and expressions of regret. Instead, they should encompass restitution, debt relief, development financing, technology transfer, educational investment and institutional accountability.
She also points out that reparatory justice requires both external accountability and internal investments.
“While former colonial powers must confront their historical obligations, African and Caribbean nations must continue investing in education, healthcare, economic empowerment and social development as acts of self-repair and renewal,” she said.
Yanney also noted that the reparatory justice movement has entered a new phase. “The challenge is no longer proving that historical crimes occurred,” she said. “The challenge is building the structures capable of delivering justice and ensuring that accountability becomes a reality rather than a promise.”
The conference’s call for stronger cooperation between Africa and its diaspora, including the establishment of permanent mechanisms to advance the reparations agenda is a major step in transforming reparatory justice from a moral demand into a practical international agenda. – Breakthrough News
Comment
LUNGU DESERVES PEACE AT LAST
The decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein to overturn the earlier ruling of the Full Bench of the Gauteng High Court has finally brought much-needed clarity to the painful and prolonged dispute over the burial of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu.
For more than a year since his death in a South African hospital on June 5, 2025, the former President’s remains have remained unburied as his family and the Zambian government fought a bitter legal battle over where he should be laid to rest. The matter has caused deep divisions in Zambia and prolonged the grief of his widow, children and relatives. The Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling, which effectively recognises Lungu’s expressed wish to be buried in South Africa, represents not only a legal victory for his family but also an affirmation of the importance of personal dignity and individual choice.
The dispute was never merely about geography. It was rooted in the troubled and often hostile relationship between Lungu and his successor, President Hakainde Hichilema. According to his family, the former President specifically requested that Hichilema should not be involved in his funeral arrangements because of long-standing political differences between the two men.
While the Zambian government argued that a former Head of State belongs to the nation and therefore deserved a State funeral in Lusaka, the family maintained that Lungu’s personal wishes should take precedence. The prolonged court battles turned what should have been a solemn period of mourning into a public and political contest.
Death should bring reconciliation and closure. Instead, the nation witnessed a regrettable struggle that kept the remains of a former President in limbo for more than a year. Regardless of political affiliation, no family should be forced to endure such prolonged uncertainty. Former presidents occupy a special place in the history of their countries. They deserve respect for their service, even when their political careers remain contested. Equally important is the principle that individuals retain the right to determine their final wishes.
The Supreme Court of Appeal has now provided an opportunity for all parties to move forward. The Zambian government should accept the judgment with dignity, while the family should be allowed to proceed with the funeral arrangements without further interference.
This sad episode should also serve as a lesson to African governments and political leaders. Political rivalries should not continue beyond the grave. Leaders may differ while in office, but death demands compassion, restraint and respect.
At last, with the court having spoken, the country and the family can hopefully find closure. The former president deserves what every human being deserves in death — dignity, peace and a final resting place in accordance with his wishes.
If the latest judgment had favoured the Zambian government, Lungu’s burial in Zambia might have turned into a funeral of spite – emotionally and physically.
