From 30 September to 2 October, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) participated in the African Union’s 9th Edition of the African Transitional Justice Forum.

Held under the AU’s 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” the forum focused on The State of Transitional Justice in Africa. It was convened in collaboration with the Interinstitutional Commission for Victim Assistance and Support for Reforms, the Ministry of Human Rights, and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation.

Representing IJR, Nyasha Mpani, Project Leader for the Data for Governance Alliance, contributed to the conversation as a panellist during Session Five, which explored Perspectives of African Youth on Reparations. He joined fellow panellists Ms Nabintu Rita Byumanine from Social Assistance Zawadi – Good Governance and Inclusion; Mr Enya Echeng Ewuro, Deputy Executive Director at Youth Organization for Research and Justice Advocacy; and Ms Nina Carole Mekenjio, African Union Transitional Justice Ambassador.

The session was moderated by Mr Cherno Gaye, Programs Manager at Activista, The Gambia, who proposed a key question: “What does a youth-centred reparation look like in practice?”

In his reflection, Mpani emphasised the importance of grounding reparations in the lived realities of young people across the continent. “Where I come from and the organisation I represent…we focus on what data tells us,” he shared. “We should often link reparations with the current problems that the youth they’re facing. Rather than it being a symbolic gesture, it should also try and address the current pressing needs of the youth.”

He highlighted that unemployment, corruption, and poor economic management consistently emerge as key concerns for young people. “If you’re talking about reparations, I think for the youth, it should also try and link with how best we can address what are the most important problems which the youth are facing,” Mpani noted. He added that for the youth, reparations will only become meaningful when they speak to their lived experiences and the everyday realities they face.

Through IJR’s participation, the forum reaffirmed the organisation’s ongoing commitment to amplifying youth voices and promoting evidence-based approaches to justice and reconciliation across the African continent.