Ghana’s UN reparations resolution proof Nkrumah’s ideas still alive – Sir Sam Jonah

Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, has drawn a direct parallel between Kwame Nkrumah's Pan-Africanist ideals and Ghana's recent success in securing a landmark United Nations resolution on the transatlantic trafficking and enslavement of Africans. The UN General Assembly passed Resolution 80/250 on March 25, 2026, designating the forced migration and racialized enslavement of Africans as "the most egregious crime against humanity."

This resolution garnered 123 votes in favor, three against, and 52 abstentions, and was spearheaded by Ghana.

In his opening remarks at the 15th Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures, Sir Jonah emphasized the ongoing significance of Nkrumah's Pan-Africanist philosophy. He also recognized the pivotal role of Kwesi Pratt Jnr, whose book "Reparations: History, Struggle, Politics and Law" published in 2025, played a crucial role in the intellectual discourse surrounding reparations.

"It is not often that a journalist in Ghana writes a book and the General Assembly of the United Nations changes its mind. It happened. He did it," Sir Jonah remarked.

The Chancellor also highlighted the presence of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat in Accra as a development that bolsters the relevance of Nkrumah's call for continental unity. However, he cautioned students attending the lecture series to approach the topic of reparations critically, rather than simply following popular arguments.

"Reparations for what, from whom, in what form – and what will we do with them that we have not done with what we already had? Those are not hostile questions. They are the questions Nkrumah himself would have asked first," Sir Jonah stated.

Sir Jonah also disclosed his participation in an initiative called "Make Africa Borderless Now," further underscoring his dedication to promoting African integration. The 15th Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures are exploring various facets of Nkrumah's political thought and legacy, including Pan-Africanism, constitutionalism, and the ongoing debate over reparations for slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.