President John Mahama is hosting world leaders and delegates from 80 countries at the High-Level Consultative Conference on the Next Steps to the landmark United Resolution A/RES/80/250 Declaring the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity.

Among the world leaders attending the Accra Summit are President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of Liberia, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, and the Prime Minister of Barbados, Honourable Mia Amor Mottley.

Others are the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua, the President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova and the Speaker of the Algerian Parliament, Mr Azouz Nasri.

The two-day meeting seeks to reinforce the historic step taken by the international community to recognise the enduring legacy and global consequences of the enslavement of Africans and the racialised chattel enslavement of Africans.

President Mahama in his opening remarks said: “We do not seek to reopen old wounds. We seek to heal those wounds. We do not seek division. We seek justice and understanding and reconciliation grounded in the truth.”

President Mahama said at the same time, the significance of the conference lies not only in the support that made the resolution possible, but also in the willingness of a broader community of nations and institutions to engage in the way that follows.

He said the pursuit of historical justice was not strengthened by narrowing the cycle of participation, but rather by expanding it.

“It is strengthened when those who may approach these issues from different historical, political, and legal perspectives, nevertheless choose dialogue over silence and engagements over distance,” he said.

President Mahama expressed his profound appreciation to all the 123 member states of the United Nations that supported the resolution, as well as to the many institutions such as civil society organisations, activists and advocates, whose dedication over many years made its adoption possible.

He said their efforts contributed significantly to creating the conditions for a more honest and constructive global conversation.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia paid tribute to those who endured unimaginable suffering, as well as to generations of their descendants who continue to seek justice, dignity and a reconnection with their ancestral heritage.

She reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to restorative justice, noting that the country’s pursuit of justice and reconciliation regarding the genocide committed against the Ovaherero and Nama communities between 1904 and 1908 forms part of the broader African journey towards historical recognition, accountability and redress.

President Emmanuel Macron of France, in a televised address to the meeting, warned against reducing reparations for slavery to mere financial compensation.

He noted that justice for historical wrongs must also encompass truth-telling, education, memorialisation and restitution.