Accra, Oct. 31, GNA – A congress of the West Africa Peoples’ Organisation (WAPO) has backed renewed efforts for reparative justice for slavery and its enduring effects on Africa, calling for stronger regional solidarity and organised action to advance the continent’s interests.
The Second Delegates Congress, held at Aburi in the Eastern Region on Saturday, brought together representatives of political and social organisations from across Africa to review the organisation’s work over the past four years and set priorities for the next quadrennium.
Mr Kyeretwie Opoku, Convenor the Socialist Movement of Ghana, in a welcome address, said reparations had become an important means of engaging young Africans on their history and contemporary struggles.
He said the campaign should not be viewed solely as a demand for financial compensation from former slave-trading countries but also as an opportunity to educate and mobilise young people.
“Reparations, I think, is something that this congress should take a look at. How can we use it to move our struggle forward?” he said.
The call comes against the backdrop of a March 25, 2026, United Nations General Assembly resolution spearheaded by Ghana, which declared the trafficking of enslaved Africans and the racialised enslavement of Africans the “gravest crime against humanity”.
The resolution, A/RES/80/250, received 123 votes in favour, with three countries voting against and 52 abstaining. It also advanced calls for reparatory justice and recognition of the enduring consequences of slavery.
The Congress also commended developments towards greater African control over natural resources, particularly efforts by Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria to strengthen national control and ownership of their resources.
Mr Opoku also raised concerns about the security situation in the Sahel, saying the region continued to face significant terrorist violence, displacement and humanitarian challenges.
Mr Opoku also called for stronger collaboration among workers, women, young people, farmers and other social groups across the region.
Mr Philippe T. Noudjenoume, President of WAPO, called for political, economic and cultural transformation across Africa, insisting that black Africa “must be respected”.
He expressed concern about the huge investments in warfare at the expense of human development, saying resources must be directed towards improving the living conditions of the people.
He noted that violence was extending towards coastal West African countries, including northern Benin and Togo, and called for stronger cooperation among regional organisations and popular movements to address the challenges.
He said one of the key lessons from the past four years was the importance of solidarity and organised action, arguing that isolated struggles were less likely to achieve lasting change.
Presenting the organisation’s quadrennial report, Mr Kafui Kan-Senaya, General Secretary of WAPO, said membership had increased from 23 organisations in 10 countries at its founding in December 2022 to 31 organisations across 11 countries.
He said 356 cadres, comprising 201 men and 155 women, had also received political education and training through the organisation’s AmĂlcar Cabral School.
WAPO was established in Winneba, Ghana, in December 2022 by 44 delegates from 23 organisations in 10 West African countries, with a mandate to promote Pan-Africanism, regional solidarity and the interests of working people.
GNA