President John Dramani Mahama has hit back strongly at critics of Ghana’s push for reparations over the transatlantic slave trade,
describing some of the opposing arguments as “infantile.”In a sharp retort, the President appeared to take direct aim at award-winning investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and others who have questioned whether African countries should demand reparations, given the historical role some Africans played in capturing and selling people into slavery.
Mahama did not mention Manasseh by name, but the timing and tone of his comments clearly point to the journalist’s recent public challenge. Manasseh had argued that while slavery should be condemned as one of the worst crimes against humanity,
African nations cannot present themselves purely as victims — because some of their ancestors were complicit in the trade. He famously asked, .
The backlash from the President comes just days after Ghana, under Mahama’s leadership, successfully championed a United Nations resolution that declared the transatlantic slave trade as one of the gravest crimes against humanity.
The President has been vocal about the need for reparatory justice, including formal apologies and concrete compensation to help address the deep, lasting economic and social scars left on people of African descent.Supporters of the reparations push see it as a long-overdue moral reckoning with centuries of exploitation and dehumanization. Critics, however, worry that focusing only on Western responsibility ignores uncomfortable truths about African involvement in the trade and could complicate efforts to build genuine accountability.This exchange highlights a growing and sometimes heated debate in Ghana and across Africa:
As the conversation continues, both sides appear dug in — with the President insisting the focus must remain on healing historical injustices, and his critics urging a more balanced, self-reflective approach.