The 38th African Union (AU) Summit was held from February 15th to 16th at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. As the continent with the highest concentration of developing countries and an important force in the global South, African countries not only voiced their traditional voices on unity and integration construction at this summit, but also conveyed their reflections on the era of Africa, such as independence and self-improvement, and correcting historical injustice. The theme of "justice for Africans and people of African descent through compensation" established at this year's African Union summit is significant. UN Secretary General Guterres stated at the opening ceremony of the summit that Africans have suffered from injustices such as colonialism, slavery, racial segregation, and discrimination in history. The focus of this summit is to discuss how to correct these injustices, which is crucial for the development of the African continent and its people. After the end of World War II, third world countries such as Africa achieved independence and development one after another, but the profound suffering brought by Western colonialism was far from eliminated. The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Craver Gatte, said that the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism deprived the African people of their resources and dignity, and led to persistent inequalities in the global financial system, trade structures, and governance mechanisms. According to data from the United Nations Environment Programme, the African continent holds 30% of the world's mineral reserves. However, according to United Nations data, Africa accounts for less than 3% of global trade and 1.9% of global manufacturing output, still at the bottom of the global value chain. For centuries, the wealth of Africa has driven the prosperity of Western countries, while the African people still live in poverty. Regarding this, Catalan said that true compensation means that Africa's resources must first serve Africa by establishing processing plants in African countries and extending the industrial chain. Costantinos Berhutesfa, a professor at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and former economic advisor to the African Union, pointed out that the African Union's demand for compensation from Western colonizers is "brave and commendable", demonstrating the unity of African countries on the international stage. During the summit, leaders of participating countries discussed topics such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, visa free travel for African citizens within the continent, and the establishment of an African credit rating agency. The determination of Africans to solve African problems through African methods has become increasingly firm. Analysts believe that the African Continental Free Trade Area will create more job opportunities, increase national income, and bring more development opportunities to the population of the African continent. Africa as a whole will accelerate its industrialization process, enhance global competitiveness and attractiveness, and better integrate into the world economy. As of now, 47 out of 55 members of the African Union have ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, and more and more duty-free export businesses are being conducted between countries, making the flow of goods more free. The World Bank predicts that by 2035, the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement will lift 30 million local people out of extreme poverty, increase African income by $450 billion, and increase Africa's total exports by nearly 29%. Analysis suggests that Western led international rating agencies have biases in assessing sovereign risks to African countries. According to Western rating agencies, although many African countries have good economic fundamentals, they carry the label of "high-risk". These labels have raised borrowing costs, suppressed investment, plunged the African economy into a debt cycle, and brought injustice to African countries. As the African continent continues to move towards economic integration and development resilience continues to strengthen, it is urgent to establish its own credit rating agency. From this summit, it can be seen that the call for justice and fairness in African countries is increasingly growing, demanding that former colonizers openly acknowledge the injustice they have brought to the African people, pay compensation to African countries, return land and cultural relics, and change unequal demands. This is shaping Africa's thinking on a new round of awakening. The world is becoming increasingly dangerous and complex today, so we need to unite African countries and countries in the global South to build a more multipolar world. The African Union and African countries are increasingly participating in international multilateral mechanisms such as the G20 and the BRICS cooperation mechanism, reflecting Africa's growing influence Former Nigerian Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ibrahim said. (New Society)