Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. (Photo: X/Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa)
West African ministers have thrown their weight behind Ghana’s campaign against xenophobia, declaring full support for Accra’s petition to the African Union while also endorsing the Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice.
The decision was taken during the ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting in Sierra Leone ahead of the Authority of Heads of State and Government Summit.
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the unanimous backing underscored the regional bloc’s commitment to African unity, tolerance and justice.
›African states urged to strengthen support for continental human rights court›Sierra Leone drops treason charges against former President Ernest Bai Koroma over health concerns›ICC moves to end Darfur war crimes case against former rebel commander Abdallah Banda›African Union pays tribute to Qatar’s Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani’s visionary leadership›African Anti-Corruption Day: AUC Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf calls for scaled-up action›472 Kenyans return home as South Africa evacuation ends amid anti-migrant violence
“I commend the ECOWAS Council of Ministers for declaring full support for Ghana’s petition to the African Union against xenophobia and for their unconditional endorsement of the Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice,” Ablakwa said on X on Sunday.
He added that Ghana would continue working with regional partners to advance continental integration in line with the vision of the country’s founding president.
“We shall keep working tirelessly towards the attainment of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s dream of a united, tolerant and prosperous Africa,” he said.
The endorsement comes weeks after Ghana formally petitioned the African Union to adopt a stronger continental response to xenophobia following reports of attacks, intimidation and the forced closure of businesses belonging to Ghanaian and Nigerian traders in some African countries.
Accra has argued that rising xenophobia threatens one of the African Union’s core objectives: the free movement of people, goods and services under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader continental integration efforts.
The Council also gave its unconditional backing to the Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice.
This is a framework championed by Ghana that calls for renewed international engagement on reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, colonial exploitation and their enduring social and economic consequences.
The reparatory justice agenda has gained momentum across Africa and the Caribbean, with governments increasingly seeking coordinated continental positions ahead of engagements with former colonial powers.
The ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting precedes the summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, where West African leaders are expected to deliberate on regional security, economic integration, democratic governance and the future of the bloc following the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The Council’s endorsement gives Ghana added regional backing as it seeks to elevate both the fight against xenophobia and the reparations agenda to the African Union’s continental platform.
