President John Dramani Mahama has reflected on the painful history of the transatlantic slave trade, recounting the suffering endured by Africans who were forcibly taken across the seas to the Western world.

Speaking at an ongoing United Nations meeting on the Resolution on Slavery, where he led several African countries to demand justice and reparations for victims of slavery, the president described the inhumane treatment as a designed to deny Africans their humanity.

He recounted how Africans were captured, transported under brutal conditions, and sold in foreign lands. According to him, many were stripped of their dignity, forced to stand naked in slave markets, and subjected to degrading treatment.

He further noted that some captives lost their lives during the harrowing journey across the ocean, while others endured violence, abuse, and the loss of their identities, including the replacement of their given names.

Watch the full statement by the president in the video below;

Mr Mahama stressed that these historical injustices continue to have lasting effects on African nations and their descendants, reinforcing the need for global recognition, accountability, and compensation.

He led other African leaders in calling for meaningful reparative measures, insisting that the international community must confront the legacy of slavery and take concrete steps towards justice.