Addressing the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama issued a powerful call for sweeping structural reforms within the UN and greater recognition of Africa’s role in shaping the future of the world.
President Mahama reminded delegates that Africa had little say in the founding of both the League of Nations and the United Nations, yet now stands at the center of global demographic and economic transformation. “By 2050, more than 25% of the world’s population will come from Africa. The future is African,” he declared, drawing resounding applause from the Assembly.
Central to his address was a demand for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council with veto power, which he described as an overdue correction to an “outdated and unjust” arrangement. He also pressed for reforms to the global financial system, insisting that current structures are “rigged against Africa.”
Turning to pressing international issues, President Mahama condemned the denial of visas to the Palestinian delegation and expressed strong support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He further spotlighted the crisis in Sudan, which he described as the world’s largest humanitarian emergency, and criticized what he called “double standards” in the treatment of refugees from the Global South compared to those from Ukraine.
On the subject of historical injustices, the Ghanaian leader renewed calls for reparations for slavery and colonization, the restitution of stolen African artefacts, and a fairer distribution of natural resource benefits. “We are tired of people extracting the most they can from us and offering the least in return,” Mahama said.
Domestically, he highlighted his government’s “Resetting Ghana” agenda, noting that inflation had been cut by half within eight months and that the cedi was recognized by Bloomberg as the world’s best-performing currency at one point in 2025.
In a historic nod to gender equity, Mahama congratulated Ghana’s first female Vice President, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and called for the appointment of a woman as the UN’s next Secretary-General.
“This organisation must reset itself to reflect today’s realities,” he concluded. “The survival of the UN is vital, because it remains the town square of our global village.”
