Africa remains today the poorest continent in the world, even as Europe and other Western powers built their prosperity by exploiting its natural and human resources. From the transatlantic slave trade to colonization, and then to neocolonialism, history bears witness to a systematic looting that has left deep scars on the continent’s economic and social development. In 2025, the African Union chose to make the issue of reparations a central agenda item, a decisive step toward recognition and justice for African peoples and their diaspora.
A History of Spoliation and Dispossession
Before the arrival of European colonists, Africa was far from being an underdeveloped territory. Flourishing empires like those of Mali, Songhai, and Kongo had advanced and prosperous economic systems. However, by the 14th century, the transatlantic slave trade had emptied the continent of a significant portion of its population, depriving African societies of millions of hands and talents. This human drain was followed by colonization, a period during which Africa’s natural resources and forced labor served to build the wealth of European metropolises.
The case of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) illustrates this brutal exploitation well. Under King Leopold II’s reign, millions of Congolese lost their lives in a forced labor system designed to enrich Belgium. After independence, the DRC was forced to honor a debt contracted by the Belgian colonial administration, compelling the country to repay the costs of its own exploitation. Furthermore, nine of the twenty-three wealthiest families in Belgium built their fortune through the exploitation of the Congo, further proof of the economic legacy of colonialism.
Neocolonialism: Exploitation Still Present
Far from being a thing of the past, the exploitation of Africa by former colonial powers continues today in other forms. The pillaging of natural resources, control over local economies, and political interference are hallmarks of persistent neocolonialism.
In Côte d’Ivoire, France structured the economy around the production of cocoa and rubber to feed its own industry, leaving the country dependent on these exports.
In Guinea, French colonization deprived the country of autonomous development, and since its independence, it has faced enormous economic difficulties inherited from the colonial system.
In Niger, the uranium mined by France helped power the French energy sector, while the Nigerien population never benefited from this wealth. In February 2024, the leader of the Nigerien military regime, General Abdourahamane Tiani, demanded compensation for more than a century of colonial and neocolonial plunder.
Reparations: A Historical and Moral Necessity
In response to this situation, the African Union declared 2025 as the year for justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations. This initiative aims to obtain recognition of the historical crimes committed against Africa and establish concrete mechanisms to repair the damages caused.
The program is based on several axes:
- The establishment of an African Reparations Fund.
- The restitution of cultural property looted by colonial powers.
- The creation of a committee of experts on reparations to assess the extent of the damages.
- The establishment of a common African position to negotiate with former colonizers and the international community.
This struggle goes beyond Africa’s borders. It also concerns African diasporas in the Americas and Europe, who still suffer today from the consequences of systemic racism stemming from the slave trade and colonization.
A Struggle That Has Only Just Begun
History has shown that Western powers concede nothing without pressure. It is therefore essential for African states to speak with one voice and for civil movements to actively engage in this fight for justice. Reparations are neither a favor nor charity: they are a moral obligation and a historical necessity.
The looting of Africa allowed European nations to prosper, offering their citizens social rights and a higher standard of living. It is time for Africa to finally receive the justice it is owed.
