President Mahama Demands Permanent UN Security Council Seats for Africa
President John Dramani Mahama has renewed Africa’s demand for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council, insisting that the continent must be granted the same rights and veto powers enjoyed by existing permanent members.
Addressing the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly, President Mahama described the continued exclusion of Africa from permanent membership as fundamentally unacceptable, particularly when the continent represents more than 1.5 billion people and the largest regional voting bloc in the Assembly.
He said the credibility and legitimacy of the United Nations depended on reforming a governance structure that reflected contemporary global realities rather than the geopolitical order established after the Second World War.
“Africa must be granted permanent representation on the UN Security Council, complete with all the rights, responsibilities, and veto powers of such membership,” he said.
President Mahama argued that sovereign equality could not be genuinely defended while an entire continent remained excluded from the highest level of global decision-making.
He further warned against the growing erosion of multilateralism, urging the United Nations to ensure that the UN Charter prevailed over the doctrine that “might makes right.”
The President said reforming the Security Council was not a favour to Africa but an imperative for the survival and effectiveness of the United Nations in addressing today’s complex global challenges.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
