President John Mahama has boldly declared at the United Nations event on slavery at the UN Headquarters on March 24, that there was no such thing as a slave.
Mahama boldly highlighted that the transatlantic slave trade involved human beings who were trafficked.
According to President John Mahama, the global community needs to shift in how the history of slavery is understood, adding that slavery must be recognised as a crime against humanity while restoring the dignity of those affected.
Mahama stressed that the historical framing of slavery must be reconsidered, beginning with the language used to describe it.
Delivering remarks at a United Nations event on slavery at the United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday, March 24, Mahama stated, “With the power that words hold to shape consciousness and perspectives, and to propel action or inaction, I offer this truth as a starting point: there is no such thing as a slave. There were human beings who were trafficked and enslaved by others who believed they could own them as property”.
“The entire transatlantic slave trade was designed to strip African people of their humanity, premised on a racial hierarchy that falsely elevated one race while dehumanising another without any basis in fact or science,” he stressed.
He added, “Some may think this is the same thing, but it is not, especially if we are to recognise the humanity and dignity of every individual”.
“These injustices occurred because human beings were reduced to objects. That is why, in discussing slavery and its legacy, we must begin by reclaiming racial equality and restoring the dignity of Africans and their descendants,” he said.
“Such a resolution allows the world to collectively bear witness to the suffering of more than 12.5 million men, women, and children whose homes, identities, families, dreams, and futures were taken from them over 400 years,” he noted.
“When discussing slavery and its consequences, we must always start by reclaiming the dignity of Africans, the humanity of our ancestors who were enslaved, and, as a matter of course, our own humanity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana is set to propose a slavery resolution at UN.
Reports by Reuters stated, “Mahama, who last year announced a deal to accept West Africans deported by the U.S., previously criticised Trump for his false claims of white genocide and land seizures in South Africa, calling them an insult to Africans.
Mahama is in New York to propose a resolution at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday to recognise transatlantic slavery as the “gravest crime in the history of humankind” and to call for reparations.
The West African nation has been a leading advocate for reparations, a cause that has gained significant momentum in recent years, even as a growing backlash has emerged.
Several Western leaders have opposed even discussing the subject, with critics arguing that today’s states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs.
The draft resolution, seen by Reuters, urges member states to engage in dialogue on reparations, including issuing formal apologies, returning stolen artifacts, providing financial compensation, and ensuring guarantees of non-repetition.
The resolution has been backed by the nations of the African Union and the Caribbean Community, as well as countries like Brazil.
Ghana’s foreign minister, Samuel Ablakwa, said the European Union and the U.S. had already communicated they would not back the resolution”.
Watch the video below:
President @JDMahama powerful speech at the High-Level Special Event on Reparatory Justice at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. #MahamaThePresident #Reparations pic.twitter.com/L3C0J3cKvt
— Bee 🐝 (@Bridget_Otoo) March 24, 2026