A member of the New Patriotic Party’s communications team, Yaw Opoku Mensah, has launched a scathing critique of President John Dramani Mahama, accusing him of opportunism in his recent posture on the reparations agenda.
According to Mensah, what is being projected as bold leadership raises serious concerns about consistency and credibility, arguing that it risks appearing as a calculated attempt to rebrand an initiative his political allies once derided.
He pointed to events in February 2023, when former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo submitted a draft report to the African Union later unanimously adopted and Ghana’s subsequent hosting of the Reparations Summit in November 2023, which positioned the country prominently in continental discourse on historical justice.
Mensah noted that at the time, figures aligned with Mahama’s political camp criticised the effort, dismissing it as a self-serving move for continental recognition.
“The hypocrisy is staggering,” Mensah asserted. “President Mahama is reaping global attention from an agenda he once allowed his allies to ridicule, yet he can’t muster the basic integrity to acknowledge where it began. That silence isn’t accidental it’s calculated.”
He went further, questioning the motive behind the renewed emphasis on reparations. “This isn’t about justice for Africa; it’s about personal branding. A genuine statesman would rise above party lines, recognize continuity, and build on it with honesty. Instead, what we see is a desperate scramble for continental relevance, even if it means erasing the contributions of others,” he said.
Yaw Opoku Mensah, NPP Communications Team Member
Mensah maintained that Africa’s reparations conversation must transcend partisan interests, warning against reducing it to a contest for credit.
“True patriots don’t rewrite history for applause they respect it, build on it, and unite around it,” he stressed.
Story By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi
