News
Transatlantic slave trade is the greatest crime against humanity- President Mahama tells UN
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/WhatsApp-Image-2025-09-26-at-11.04.38-1000x600.jpeg&description=Transatlantic slave trade is the greatest crime against humanity- President Mahama tells UN', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/WhatsApp-Image-2025-09-26-at-11.04.38-1000x600.jpeg&description=Transatlantic slave trade is the greatest crime against humanity- President Mahama tells UN', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
The President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has expressed dissatisfaction with the transatlantic slave trade, describing it as the greatest crime against humanity.
Addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President recalled that millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homelands to create wealth for powerful nations.
He observed that while former slave owners received compensation for what was described as property, enslaved Africans and their descendants were denied justice for centuries.
He announced that Ghana, in its role as Africa’s champion on reparations, will table a motion before the Assembly to demand reparations for slavery, colonization, the exploitation of natural resources and the looting of cultural heritage.
He stressed the need for the full return of African artifacts taken abroad.
Turning to contemporary conflicts, President Mahama condemned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, describing the situation as a crime that cannot continue.
He reminded the Assembly that Ghana recognized the State of Palestine in 1988 and has consistently supported a two-state solution.
He explained that such an arrangement is not a reward for Hamas but a relief for innocent Palestinian women, children, and civilians enduring collective punishment.
The President also drew attention to the war in Sudan, which the UN has described as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
He noted that 12 million people had been displaced and urged the international community to extend to Sudanese refugees the same level of support offered to those fleeing Ukraine.
President Mahama expressed concern about the decline in global humanitarian aid, estimating a 40 percent drop since July 2024.
He argued that Africa must take control of its natural resources, secure fairer deals with foreign investors and promote value addition on the continent.
He stressed that Africans were tired of being portrayed as poor and marginalized despite the continent’s immense wealth.
On global governance, the President pressed for urgent reform of the United Nations, describing its founding charter as outdated.
He questioned a system that allows a few powerful nations to exercise near total control while the principle of sovereign equality is enshrined in the Charter.
He recommended that veto power should not be absolute and urged that the Assembly be granted authority to challenge it.
Looking to the future, President Mahama underlined Africa’s growing role in global affairs.
He pointed out that by 2050, more than a quarter of the world’s population will be African, with one third of all young people aged 15 to 24 living on the continent.
“The future is African,” he declared to the Assembly.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Construction of a major underground stormwater drain along the Dr. Busia Highway within the Kaneshie enclave will commence on September 7, 2026.
The Project Coordinator for the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfo, announced this at a special media briefing on Wednesday.
According to him, the works will involve the construction of a double-cell underground rectangular drain measuring approximately 10 metres wide and 1.95 kilometres long, stretching from Pamprom Junction to First Light Junction.
The new drain will replace the existing two 1.2-metre diameter pipes, which are inadequate to carry the volume of stormwater in the area.
Dr. Sarfo said the drain will connect at one end to the recently completed section within the Accra Academy campus and at the other end to the existing drain at Pamprom Junction.
He said the construction is expected to run from September 2026 to October 2027.
The project forms part of government’s broader flood prevention and mitigation programme aimed at addressing perennial flooding in Accra.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has withdrawn from the party’s National Chairmanship race.
In a statement issued yesterday, Chairman Wontumi who is currently serving a 20-year jail term said his decision was driven by his love for the party and his unwillingness to let his personal circumstances distract the NPP from its rebuilding efforts.
“There are moments in the life of a man when the heart wants to continue, but duty demands sacrifice. Moments when one must quietly set aside personal ambition, not because the dream has died, but because the family he loves must not be made to carry his burden. Today, I find myself at such a painful moment,” he wrote.
He disclosed that after many nights of prayer, sober reflection and consultations with his family, legal team, party elders, campaign team and trusted supporters, he concluded that his present situation must not become an additional burden on the NPP.
“This is not the decision my heart desired, but sometimes, true love requires us to release what we deeply want in order to protect what we love even more,” he added.
Recounting his years of service, Chairman Wontumi said he had served the party with everything within him, walking through heat and rain, travelling to remote communities and standing with the grassroots in both victory and defeat.
“For many years, I have served the NPP with everything within me… The NPP is not merely a political party to me. It is my family. It is my home. It is a cause to which I have dedicated a significant part of my life,” he stated.
He explained that the party, already carrying the pain of electoral defeat and the huge responsibility of preparing for the future, should not be made to carry his personal weight.
“That is why I cannot allow my present situation or personal ambition to distract the party from the difficult work of rebuilding. I cannot ask the party to carry my weight when it is already carrying the pain of defeat and the enormous responsibility of preparing for the battle ahead. I would rather carry this pain quietly than allow the party I love to suffer because of me,” he said.
He further sympathized with his supporters across the 16 regions, acknowledging that the decision would be painful for many who had sacrificed for his campaign.
“To my teeming supporters across all sixteen regions, I know this message will hurt. I know many of you will read it with tears in your eyes because I understand the sacrifices you have made for this journey,” he said.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
