By Iddi Yire
Accra, Sept. 24, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has called for permanent African representation on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, with all the rights, responsibilities and veto powers that come with such membership.
He made the call in an address to world leaders at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“We cannot credibly champion the sovereign equality of nations while preserving a global governance structure designed for the post-war geopolitical realities,” President Mahama stated.
“Security Council reform is not a favour to Africa; it is an imperative for the legitimacy, credibility, and survival of the United Nations.”
He said the injustices of the past remained embedded in contemporary global power structures.
“Africa is home to 1.5 billion people, over 18 per cent of humanity, and constitutes the largest regional voting bloc in this General Assembly,” President Mahama said.
“Yet, Africa remains without a single permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. This is fundamentally unacceptable in the 21st century.”
President Mahama said the same systemic inequality permeated the international financial architecture, with developing nations borrowing at interest rates up to eight times higher than industrialised nations.
He said African and Caribbean countries affected by climate disasters were compelled to take on crippling debt to rebuild from floods and droughts they did not cause.
The President said governments were consequently faced with a difficult choice between servicing what he described as predatory debt and meeting the needs of their people.
“We demand reform. We need long-term, affordable, and accessible concessionary financing that enables developing economies to invest in human capital, industrialisation, and climate adaptation.”
President Mahama said Africa was not seeking charity, but an equal partnership anchored in mutual respect.
“Our continent possesses the world’s youngest population, vast arable land, unparalleled cultural vitality, and the critical minerals required to drive the global green energy transition.”
The President said Africa would, however, not remain a passive arena for a new scramble for resources, stressing that critical mineral extraction must not replicate colonial-era exploitation.
“We will process our minerals at home, build local industries, create dignified jobs for our youth, and retain the value of our natural resources.”
President Mahama said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose Secretariat Ghana hosts in Accra, was Africa’s vehicle for promoting intra-African trade, structural transformation and industrial growth.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah