Beyond debt cancellation What would reparative justice require?

Why is debt cancellation alone insufficient to solve Africa's economic crises, and what deeper structural transformations are required? 

In this second episode, we push past arguments for one-off debt relief to examine what lasting economic justice truly demands. Drawing on key insights from African Futures Lab’s report, Debt Cancellation Is Not Enough! (external link), we reframe sovereign debt not as an isolated problem, but as a symptom of a global financial architecture rooted in colonial-era power imbalances and extractive economic models. 

We explore why debt cancellation must be paired with radical institutional reform—including structural changes to the IMF, World Bank, and global governance systems. The discussion also navigates a critical tension: balancing international accountability with the vital responsibility of African states to implement equitable domestic policies. Join us as we examine how a reparative justice framework can break cycles of indebtedness and restore true policy autonomy. 

• Beyond short-term relief: Why debt cancellation without structural reform fails to stop future dependency. 
• Global financial architecture: How power asymmetries within major institutions reinforce cycles of debt. 
• State responsibility and accountability: Balancing demands on global institutions with sound, equitable domestic governance. 

Dr. Grieve Chelwa  (external link)- Associate Professor of Political Economy and Chair of Social Sciences at The Africa Institute, Global Studies University, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. 

Liliane Umubyeyi, PhD (external link) - Co-founder and Executive Director, African Futures Lab.