Abraham Amaliba, the Acting Director General of the (NRSA)

The Acting Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team, Abraham Amaliba, has stated that the demand for reparations from former colonial powers is appropriate and justified.

Sharing his perspective in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb on May 26, 2025, following the commemoration of African Union Day on May 25, 2025, Amaliba emphasised that beyond African countries’ efforts to unite and pursue development, colonial powers must acknowledge the role they played in dividing African people and underdeveloping the continent.

According to him, the division of Africa by European powers and the United States, coupled with exploitation in various forms, has had a lasting negative impact on the continent.

He believes it is both ethical and fair for colonial masters to acknowledge their role in Africa’s stunted development and to provide reparations.

“It is important that people who have wronged you acknowledge that they have wronged you. It is also proper and fair that persons who have wronged you, and have acknowledged same, provide some form of compensation to those who have been wronged,” he said.

Amaliba, was however quick to add that, the call for reparations should not become an excuse for Africans to be complacent. He therefore urged continued efforts to free the continent from poverty and underdevelopment.

“I’m not saying that we should fold our arms while waiting for reparations. But while we are at it, working to create an African nation and unite as a continent, we must remember that our current circumstances are partly a result of what the Europeans, our colonial masters, did to us.

"So, both must go hand in hand. I do not think we should sit idly by waiting for reparations. As we demand them, we must also make every effort, using our limited resources, to develop ourselves,” he explained.

Amaliba’s comments follow President John Mahama’s address on AU Day. The president, who currently serves as the African Union’s (AU) Champion for Reparations, reiterated his commitment to collaborating with African leaders and stakeholders to push for justice.

In his Africa Day 2025 message, President Mahama stated, “The AU has declared 2025 as the year for justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations. As the AU Champion for this critical cause, I am deeply committed to working with you all to achieve this objective.”

The African Union has designated 2025 as the Year of ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations’, following a decision made at the 37th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa.

The theme seeks to drive momentum for reparations, promote continent-wide engagement, and support efforts to address historical injustices such as transatlantic slavery, colonialism, and apartheid.

VPO/MA

Meanwhile, catch up on the concluding part of the story of Fort William, where children were sold in exchange for kitchenware, others, below: