Mahama calls slave trade “the greatest crime against humanity”

President John Dramani Mahama has told the United Nations General Assembly that the transatlantic slave trade must be recognized as history’s gravest crime against humanity.

Addressing world leaders in New York on Thursday, Mahama declared that Ghana, as Africa’s champion on reparations, would soon table a motion at the UN to secure global recognition of the atrocity.

“The slave trade must be recognised as the greatest crime against humanity,” he said. “More than 12 and a half million Africans were forcibly taken against their will and transported to create wealth for powerful Western nations.”

He explained that the consequences of slavery and colonialism continue to shape inequalities across Africa and the wider global south.

“We must demand reparations for the enslavement of our people, the colonisation of our land, the theft of our natural resources and the looting of our cultural heritage,” Mahama told the Assembly.

Mahama argued that reparations were not only about financial redress but also about justice, restoration, and recognition.

He urged the return of African artifacts still held in Western museums and private collections, stressing that the legacy of exploitation must be addressed if the world is to build genuine trust.

Beyond slavery, Mahama urged nations not to “normalize cruelty, hatred, xenophobia and racism” at a time when migrants face hostility in many countries.

He cited examples of Africans and their descendants who had contributed greatly to societies worldwide, including former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. federal judge Mami Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong.

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“These are not invaders. These are not criminals. These are people who have brought distinction to the countries they call home,” Mahama said.

The president’s call comes amid a wider push by African leaders for reparative justice.

He framed the demand not as division but as a step towards reconciliation. “If we are going to tell the story,” he insisted, “let us tell it truthfully.”