Reparative Economies

Renewed momentum for reparative justice—from the African Union’s proposed Decade on Reparations (2026–2036) to the United Nations General Assembly's March 2026 resolution recognizing transatlantic enslavement as “the gravest crime against humanity”—has opened a window to reframe development as a process of structural repair, grounded in justice, dignity, and community-led prosperity. This opportunity is particularly significant across Africa, where conflicts and crises remain rooted in economic systems that concentrate wealth among a small elite and exclude the populations most affected.

This thought piece introduces the reparative economy—a framework articulated at a December 2025 workshop in Addis Ababa convened by the Open Society Foundations and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Service Centre for Africa. The framework integrates the principles of reparative justice, community-led prosperity, and the democratization of economic structures. The paper contrasts a reparative economy approach with conventional development models, examines three core pillars—participatory governance, reparative investment, and inclusive economic and political empowerment—and offers practical entry points for how policymakers, communities, and development partners can apply the framework across the continent.