This follows a landmark resolution by the United Nations General Assembly declaring the Trans-Atlantic enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.

The Conference, to be held under the auspices of President Mahama in his capacity as African Union Champion for Reparations, is aimed at advancing global efforts towards addressing historical injustices and developing concrete frameworks for reparatory justice.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said the event would serve as a strategic follow-up to the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/250.

The Resolution received overwhelming support from 123 member states.

It said the resolution marked a significant milestone in global acknowledgment of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the racialised chattel enslavement of Africans, and underscored the need for structured international engagement on reparations.

The Conference is expected to bring together Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, academics, historians, jurists, civil society actors and representatives of regional and international organisations to deliberate on actionable steps towards implementing the resolution.

“The High-Level Next Steps Conference is intended to sustain the momentum generated at the multilateral level by providing a dedicated platform for participating States and stakeholders to deliberate on the next phase of the reparations agenda,” the statement said.

Discussions will focus on translating the resolution into a common and actionable global framework, including coordinated policy approaches, institutional arrangements and mechanisms for sustained international engagement.

An outcome document from the conference is expected to outline collective strategies and recommendations to guide future continental and global engagements on reparatory justice.

As part of activities marking the Conference, a special commemoration of Juneteenth will be held at the historic Christiansborg Castle, a site closely linked to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

The commemoration, described as a first-ever joint observance with Africans in the United States, is expected to provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on the historical context underpinning the reparations discourse, while promoting remembrance, healing and justice.

The Ministry said the Conference would also foster deeper collaboration among participating states, strengthen Africa’s collective voice on reparatory justice, and enhance engagement with the African diaspora and international partners.

Ghana has, in recent years, positioned itself at the forefront of the global reparations discourse, leveraging its historical significance in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its diplomatic engagements within the African Union and the wider international community.

The country’s designation of President Mahama as the African Union Champion for Reparations has further strengthened its advocacy for justice, recognition and restitution for Africans and people of African descent.

The adoption of the UN resolution is widely seen as a culmination of sustained advocacy by African states, civil society organisations and diaspora groups calling for formal acknowledgment of slavery as a crime against humanity and for concrete reparatory measures.

The upcoming conference in Accra is therefore expected to consolidate these gains by shifting the global conversation from recognition to implementation, including legal, economic and institutional pathways for reparations.

The Government has expressed confidence that the conference will contribute to shaping a unified global position on reparatory justice and build on the unprecedented momentum generated by the UN resolution.