Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has called on participants of the 2025 Diaspora Summit in Accra to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to strengthen calls for reparations.

Speaking at the Accra International Conference Centre, Mr Ablakwa said the summit must translate into “coordinated policy actions, stronger diplomatic engagement, and a unified African and diaspora voice on reparative justice.”

He added, “Ghana is committed to using its diplomatic platforms to push the reparations agenda,” stressing that the historical injustices of slavery and colonialism continue to have lasting economic and social consequences for people of African descent.

According to Mr Ablakwa, it has been exactly 80 years since the seminal Pan-African Congress convened in Manchester by Ghana’s founder, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, alongside other iconic leaders.

He noted, “It was at that congress that the first and finest sparks for the anti-colonial movement were ignited. A significant number of these gentlemen then moved to Ghana to carry out the hard work and struggle needed to defeat colonialism.”

Reflecting on the legacy, Mr Ablakwa said, “80 years on, we should allow that example and the ensuing success that was experienced to inspire us on our noble journey of reparatory justice. Our time is now. Let history record that this summit marked the moment when we moved beyond rhetoric to coordinated action, and when we all together demanded justice for the greatest sin against humanity.