Addis Ababa, May 24, 2025 (FMC) — Addis Ababa, May 24, 2025 — African leaders have urged renewed continental unity, institutional reform, and strategic development to address the lingering impacts of slavery and colonialism while confronting modern challenges such as political instability, underdevelopment, and external dependency.
During the Africa Day 2025 high-level event held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Chairperson of the African Union and President of Angola, João Lourenço, and the AU Champion for Reparations and President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, delivered their speeches via video call.
On the occasion, they emphasized the importance of justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations and collective continental action.
President Mahama highlighted the AU’s 2025 theme of justice through reparations, underscoring that reparations extend beyond financial compensation to acknowledging the profound and enduring damage caused by slavery, colonialism, and neocolonialism. “They are about confronting the uncomfortable truths of our past and taking concrete steps to rectify these wrongs. We seek justice,” Mahama said.
He called for official apologies from responsible nations and institutions, fair trade practices, the return of stolen cultural treasures, and investments in education to deepen understanding of African history and contributions. Mahama urged African leaders, civil society, youth groups, and the diaspora to unite in pursuit of these goals, making Africa Day 2025 a turning point in the continent’s journey toward justice and development.
President João Lourenço recalled the founding figures of African unity such as Kwame Nkrumah, Haile Selassie, and Julius Nyerere, who laid the foundation for cooperation and emancipation. He stressed the need to build an Africa grounded in values, achievements, and victories that all Africans can identify with.
Lourenço acknowledged Africa’s complex challenges, including political fragmentation, violent extremism, youth unemployment, and climate vulnerability. He called for stronger institutions, democratic governance, economic integration, and investment in critical infrastructure such as roads, energy, and industrial development.
The AU Chairperson emphasized Africa’s youthful population as a unique asset with the potential to innovate and transform economies through digital technology, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and cultural industries. He noted AU initiatives to boost infrastructure development and continental free trade as vital to Africa’s emergence as a strategic player on the global stage.
Both leaders highlighted the importance of solidarity, peace, cooperation, and endogenous development in overcoming historical injustices and addressing contemporary socio-economic challenges. Their messages reinforced the AU’s commitment to a prosperous, united, and self-reliant Africa.
The event gathered heads of state, senior government officials, and key stakeholders dedicated to the continent’s advancement under the theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.”
The commemorative event reaffirmed the AU’s vision of a united, prosperous, and self-reliant Africa—committed to justice, peace, and inclusive growth.