Ghana has been elected First Vice-Chair of the African Union (AU) for 2026 during the 46th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 14, 2026.

President John Dramani Mahama’s nomination was unanimously endorsed by AU member states, placing Ghana in the second-highest leadership position of the continental body for the coming year.

Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye officially assumed the AU Chairmanship, succeeding Angola’s João Lourenço, while the full Bureau now reflects balanced regional representation across Africa’s five geographic zones.

The election underscores Ghana’s growing diplomatic influence and its active role in advancing the AU’s core priorities: deepening continental integration, accelerating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), strengthening peace and security mechanisms, mobilising climate finance, and advancing institutional reforms.

During the summit, President Mahama delivered remarks reinforcing Ghana’s commitment to these goals, including renewed calls for regional manufacturing hubs, vaccine production capacity, and a UN resolution on reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade. Ghana’s First Vice-Chair position will give the country a prominent platform to champion these issues over the next 12 months.

The 46th AU Summit, held February 13–18, 2026, adopted the 2026 theme “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” with leaders also addressing ongoing conflicts, debt burdens, and global economic pressures affecting Africa.

Ghana’s elevation to First Vice-Chair is widely seen as recognition of its consistent advocacy for Pan-African unity, democratic governance, and economic transformation — principles central to the “Reset Ghana” agenda.

Ghana has formally urged the African Union (AU) to rally continental support for a proposed United Nations resolution seeking international acknowledgment, accountability, and reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade and its enduring legacies.

The call was made during the 46th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa on February 13, 2026.

Ghana’s delegation, led by President John Dramani Mahama, stated that the resolution — currently under discussion at the UN — aims to establish a global framework for formal apology, acknowledgment of historical harm, educational reforms, economic reparations, and debt cancellation for affected nations.

Ghana argued that the slave trade, which forcibly removed an estimated 12–15 million Africans between the 15th and 19th centuries, created lasting structural inequalities, underdevelopment, and racial injustice that persist today. The country positioned the resolution as a moral, legal, and economic imperative for global healing and development justice.

Key elements Ghana is advocating for in the UN text include:

• Official recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity
• Establishment of an international reparations mechanism
• Support for education curricula reforms worldwide to teach the full history and impact of the trade
• Debt relief and development financing for African nations as partial reparatory measures
• Preservation and digitisation of slave trade archives and memorials

The proposal builds on Ghana’s long-standing leadership on reparations, including the 2019 Year of Return, the establishment of the Emancipation Day holiday, and hosting of multiple Pan-African reparations conferences. It also aligns with the AU’s 2025 Theme of the Year: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”

Ghana’s delegation called on fellow AU member states to co-sponsor the resolution, lobby permanent members of the UN Security Council, and mobilise support in the General Assembly. Several leaders expressed solidarity during closed-door discussions, with follow-up coordination expected through the AU’s Committee of Fifteen on Reparations.

The move reflects Ghana’s continued role as a voice for historical justice and Pan-African solidarity on the global stage.

Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reached agreements with the United Kingdom to accept the return of their nationals who are illegal migrants or foreign offenders in the UK, following threats of visa sanctions from the British Home Office.

The deals, confirmed in early February 2026, mark a significant win for the UK’s enforcement-led migration strategy under Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

The agreements came after Mahmood warned in December 2025 that the three countries would face visa restrictions—including potential halts on issuing visas to their nationals—if they did not improve cooperation on removals.

Officials cited “unacceptably poor and obstructive returns processes,” such as delays in paperwork and requirements allowing migrants to effectively veto their own deportation by refusing to sign documents.

Namibia and Angola reached deals in December following the initial threats. The DRC finalized its agreement more recently, completing the trio. Home Secretary Mahmood stated:

“Illegal migrants and dangerous criminals will now be removed and deported back to Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. I will do what it takes to secure our order and control to our borders.” She added: “My message is clear: if foreign governments refuse to accept the return of their citizens, then they will face consequences.”

The UK estimates that up to 3,000 individuals from these three countries could now be deported as a result of the cooperation. The strategy mirrors tactics used by the US under President Donald Trump, where visa penalties were leveraged to compel countries—often in the Global South—to accept deportees.

Broader implications for UK-Africa relations include concerns that the coercive approach shifts enforcement burdens onto African governments, which may face political and economic costs. Visa access is particularly sensitive for travel, trade, remittances, and diplomatic ties, and weaker administrative capacity can make compliance more likely.

The deals reflect a wider push by developed nations to strengthen return policies amid rising irregular migration pressures. No immediate reactions from the governments of Angola, Namibia, or the DRC were detailed in reports, but the agreements signal their willingness to cooperate under pressure.