Africa must be granted permanent representation on UN Security Council - Prez Mahama

President John Mahama has made a case for the African continent to significantly be regarded and given permanent representation on the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

Addressing nations at the 81st United Nations General Assembly, President Mahama underscored the need for the continent to have a permanent representation on the UN Security Council.

President Mahama explained that Africa constitutes the largest regional voting bloc in the General Assembly, yet has no single permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

This, he said is fundamentally unacceptable in the 21st century" and must be avoided.

Africa must be granted permanent representation on the UN Security Council, complete with all the rights, responsibilities, and veto powers of such membership," President Mahama stated.

He stressed that while the United Nations actively champions sovereign equality of nations, it must equally demonstrate its commitment to preserve a global governance structure designed for the post-war geopolitical realities.

He said a "Security Council reform is not a favour to Africa; it is an imperative for the legitimacy, credibility, and survival of the United Nations."

President Mahama noted that just as there's inequality on the UN Security Council, same inequality is visible on the international financial architecture where developing countries borrow at voluminous interest rates.

"The same systemic inequality permeates the international financial architecture. Developing nations borrow at interest rates up to eight times higher than industrialised nations," he added.