President Ruto urges Africa-CARICOM unity in push for reparatory justice

The President said the Africa-CARICOM Reparations Working Group should be given more support and resources so that it can drive the agenda more effectively.

He also advocated joint action at the United Nations to secure a resolution that puts reparatory justice firmly on the global agenda.

President Ruto pointed out the need to address debt, saying the heavy financial burdens faced by African and Caribbean countries are a direct result of colonial exploitation.

He added that stronger cultural and educational exchanges between the two regions could help preserve shared history and inspire young people to carry the struggle forward.

“By strengthening our joint efforts, developing common strategies, and advancing coordinated initiatives, Africa and the Caribbean can ensure that reparations speak not only to the injustices of the past, but also to the inequalities of the present and the promise of the future,” he said.

The President was speaking at the second Africa-CARICOM Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday.

Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Africa Union Chairperson and President of Angola João Lourenço, African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and CARICOM Secretary-General Carla Barnett were also present. 

Pointing out that reparatory justice goes beyond financial compensation, President Ruto noted that it was about honouring resilience, repairing dignity, and correcting the deep injustices left by slavery and colonialism.

He said the scars of colonial rule remain clear today, and the call for justice is both moral and urgent. In 2013, the President recalled, that Kenya secured recognition and compensation for freedom fighters tortured under British rule.

“That moment proved that history can be confronted, and that justice, though delayed, is still possible,” he said. 

Prime Minister Ahmed proposed that the cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean should focus on agriculture, green energy, technology, culture, leadership, and healthcare.

“Let us not be distracted by the challenges that surround us. Our regions have always faced adversities. What has changed is that we now face it together,"

 he said.

He also called for stronger transport and trade links across Africa to ease the movement of people, goods, and ideas.

President Lourenço pushed for visa restrictions between Africa and the Caribbean to be reviewed, making it easier for the two regions to work closely.

AUC Chair Youssouf called on former colonial powers to acknowledge historic crimes, provide meaningful reparations, and remove structures of systemic injustice.

“The African Union stands firmly with the Caribbean in every step towards reparatory justice and true liberation,” he said.

Dr Barnett said Africa and the Caribbean must pool their strengths to improve prosperity for their people.

She emphasised that the two regions share a powerful collective voice and should use it to demand justice for the exploitation and trauma of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.