AU’s reparative justice agenda: Africa needs structural change, not just compensation, By Chukwumerije Okereke

The African Union (AU).

The 38th AU Summit is more than a diplomatic event — it is a litmus test for Africa’s political will and commitment to growth.  While it is true that justice delayed is justice denied, we should also be conscious that justice poorly designed is sovereignty surrendered. The continent’s leaders must be intentional and leverage this moment to forge a future where Africa’s prosperity is self-determined, equitable, and unapologetically sovereign. 

African heads of state recently converged for the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The theme of this year’s gathering, “Building a united front to advance the cause of justice and payment of reparations to Africans,” resonates deeply with the collective memory of all people of African descent resulting from centuries of exploitation from the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, neocolonialism, systemic racism and economic marginalisation. These historical injustices have resulted in persistent inequalities in global financial systems, trade structures, and governance institutions that continue to afflict the continent today.

Yet, amid the urgency of this reparations discourse, the continent stands at a historic crossroads: how can this moment be leveraged to secure not only redress for past wrongs, but also lasting sovereignty and prosperity.

While the AU’s call for reparations is morally and historically justified, it is important to not lose sight of the ultimate goal: a truly self-reliant and prosperous Africa. Reparations, whether financial or structural, must catalyse systemic change rather than perpetuate dependency. It should empower African communities to lead their own development. This was well articulated at the ongoing summit by UN Under Secretary General, Mr Claver Gatete, in his remarks at the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, where he cautioned against viewing financial compensation as a panacea, and emphasising that Africa’s future hinges on structural autonomy and dismantling the entrenched barriers that limit its trade (3 per cent of global share) and manufacturing output (1 per cent) despite holding 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves and 65 per cent of arable land.

We must acknowledge the hard truth that there are some actors in the global North who see a truly sovereign and independent and prosperous Africa as a threat. African leaders must at all cost fight to ensure that proposed strategies and programmes to secure justice for the continent are not tied to “donor whims,” while will reinforce the cycle of servitude.

We must acknowledge the hard truth that there are some actors in the global North who see a truly sovereign and independent and prosperous Africa as a threat. African leaders must at all cost fight to ensure that proposed strategies and programmes to secure justice for the continent are not tied to “donor whims,” while will reinforce the cycle of servitude. Multilateral promises have often crumbled under Western hesitancy to support developing nations in their struggle to adapt to emerging challenges, which the West is largely responsible for. Climate change is a poignant case in point.

While Africa contributes minimally to global carbon emissions, it bears the brunt of climate disasters. Yet, rich countries have continually failed to heed Africa’s cry for sizeable finance to help it address the adaptation and loss and damage needs imposed by climate change. Many Africans watched an open show of horror as Western nations at COP29 watered-down the New Quantified Climate Finance Goal and poured cold water on the collective aspiration of the African people for climate justice. The United States of America has now gone a step further by pulling out of the Paris Agreement.

Furthermore, the recent trends in the rise of neoconservative movements, anti-immigration sentiments, weaponisation of conditional aid (exemplified by USAID tensions) have exposed the fragility of relying on external goodwill.

African leaders should seize this opportunity to strengthen regional solidarity, invest in homegrown systems and reposition the continent on a self-sufficient growth trajectory. This would put us in a stronger position to hold global actors accountable and demand for enforceable commitments.

The challenge for African leaders is clear: to transform the call for reparations from a symbolic demand into a blueprint for sovereignty. Reparative justice for the continent should not be pursued through tokenistic financial transfers, acknowledgment of historical wrongs, and cultural preservation, as the AU leader have suggested, but rather through strategies and programmes that foster long-term, transformative change, and with just a transition to the green economy placed at the centre. This means resisting the “perpetual cycle of servitude” that the 19th-century slavery abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, once warned against — a cycle in which helplessness invites pity, but never respect. As he rightly said, “Human nature is so constituted, that it cannot honour a helpless man, although it can pity him; and even this it cannot do long, if the signs of power do not arise.”

In addition, while external pressures loom, Africa cannot afford to outsource its path to prosperity. There is need for some self-introspection, as we must also do right by ourselves and address underlying challenges such as the lack of purposeful leadership and endemic corruption, which have immensely contributed to the underdevelopment of the continent. African leaders should seize this opportunity to strengthen regional solidarity, invest in homegrown systems and reposition the continent on a self-sufficient growth trajectory. This would put us in a stronger position to hold global actors accountable and demand for enforceable commitments.

The 38th AU Summit is more than a diplomatic event — it is a litmus test for Africa’s political will and commitment to growth.  While it is true that justice delayed is justice denied, we should also be conscious that justice poorly designed is sovereignty surrendered. The continent’s leaders must be intentional and leverage this moment to forge a future where Africa’s prosperity is self-determined, equitable, and unapologetically sovereign. 

Chukwumerije Okereke is a professor of Global Governance and Public Policy at University of Bristol, visiting professor at the London School of Economics, UK and co-chair of Ukama Platform, a group of thought-leaders that aim to strengthen Africa-Europe relationship to achieve just sustainability transformation