President John Dramani Mahama is set to depart Accra on Monday for an official visit to the United States, where he will lead Ghana’s delegation to a high-level session on reparatory justice at the United Nations.
The visit, which will take him to New York and Pennsylvania, is centred on addressing historical injustices stemming from the transatlantic slave trade and honouring its victims.
On Tuesday, President Mahama is scheduled to convene and deliver the keynote address at a High-Level Special Event on Reparatory Justice at the UN Headquarters. The event, themed “Reparatory Justice for the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans,” will bring together global leaders and dignitaries to explore pathways toward justice.
Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu described the gathering as a significant moment for the international community to confront one of the darkest chapters in human history.
On Wednesday, President Mahama will address the UN General Assembly as part of activities marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. He is expected to present Ghana’s position—endorsed by the African Union—calling for the formal recognition of the transatlantic slave trade and racialised chattel enslavement as the gravest crime against humanity.
As part of the visit, the President will also participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the African Burial Ground National Monument, a historic site honouring enslaved Africans whose remains were discovered there.
Beyond his UN engagements, President Mahama will travel to Pennsylvania to deliver a keynote address at Lincoln University and later meet with members of the Ghanaian community at Temple University.
According to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, the visit aims to deepen Ghana’s ties with the African diaspora while reinforcing the country’s leadership role in the global conversation on reparatory justice.
