President John Dramani Mahama has urged the international community to place the experiences of enslaved women and girls at the heart of conversations on reparatory justice, arguing that their suffering has often been overlooked in historical narratives.
Speaking at the Next Steps High-Level Consultative Conference in Accra, Mahama said women endured unique forms of brutality during the transatlantic slave trade that extended beyond forced labour.
“For many enslaved women, exploitation did not end with providing labour,” he noted. “Their bodies became instruments of economic extraction.”
President Mahama stressed that any meaningful reparations process must acknowledge the gendered dimensions of slavery and ensure that women occupy a central place in efforts to document historical truths and pursue redress.
He paid tribute to iconic female resistance figures including Nani of the Maroons, Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, describing them as symbols of courage and resilience in the face of oppression.
“Reparatory justice must be gender responsive,” Mahama declared. “The historical experiences of women and girls must occupy their rightful place at the centre of truth-telling, remembrance and redress.”
The remarks were welcomed by participants who have long argued that women’s experiences during slavery remain underrepresented in both academic research and public discourse.
Mahama also acknowledged generations of women activists, scholars and advocates who have championed the cause of reparatory justice, often without widespread recognition.
“To all the women who have carried this cause, often without recognition: we see you. We honour your contribution,” he said.