{
  "id": 9518571,
  "title": "Bright Ofori writes: Who should hold Africa’s at least two permanent seats on a reformed UN Security council?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/bright-ofori-writes-who-should-hold-africas-at-least-two-permanent",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-24T07:41:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/bright-ofori-writes-who-should-hold-africas-at-least-two-permanent-seats-on-a-reformed-un-security-council/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As world leaders convene at the United Nations General Assembly, the dialogue surrounding Security Council reform has resurfaced as a pressing issue on the global diplomatic agenda. The current Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has emphasized that the UN's 1945 framework no longer aligns with today's world, particularly the glaring absence of permanent African representation on the Security Council. This democratic shortfall cannot be ignored any longer, and Africa must insist on rectifying it. My stance is straightforward in theory but carefully crafted in execution. Given Africa's composition of fifty-four countries, it deserves a minimum of two permanent seats on a reformed Security Council. The first seat would be allocated to the African Union, symbolizing the continent as a unified political entity. The second seat would rotate biennially among Africa's recognized regional economic blocs, including ECOWAS, SADC, and the East African Community, ensuring no single geographic region of the continent is consistently marginalized. This minimum seating arrangement is not the zenith of Africa's aspirations for a truly reformed Security Council. Advocates argue that regional blocs ought to occupy the second seat rather than individual states due to practical and principle-based reasoning. Rotating the seat among Africa's fifty-four states individually would take over half a century for each nation to have its turn, undermining the essence of permanent representation. Such permanence should be vested in structures that transcend any single administration or election cycle. A compelling unity argument further supports this proposal. For decades, Africa has been represented in fragments, negotiation by bilateral agreements, and sometimes manipulated for external power games. A rotating seat among regional blocs compels the continent to present a cohesive voice before it reaches the global stage, rewarding cooperation over competition. The Security Council, as an instrument of global unity, should mirror the unity Africa seeks to project. If the Council were to expand for additional permanent seats, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana would be the strongest candidates. Each nation boasts a rich diplomatic history, significant peacekeeping contributions, and a legacy of multilateral leadership that has shaped African and global affairs beyond their respective borders. Egypt's diplomatic influence spans the Arab world, the African Union, and decades of regional conflict mediation. Ethiopia, as the home of the African Union, has long anchored continental diplomacy, complemented by a substantial peacekeeping presence. Ghana carries a lineage dating back to Africa's earliest days of independence and non-alignment, reinforced by its ongoing contributions to peacekeeping, election observation, and constitutional stability, making it a beacon of democratic governance on the continent. While Nigeria and South Africa remain formidable powers on the continent in economic weight and military capacity, recent internal security challenges and unresolved domestic issues, such as xenophobia in South Africa and insurgency in Nigeria, raise concerns about their readiness to lead global deliberations on security. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana, in contrast, present a more stable and credible case to represent Africa in a seat defined by peace and security. Africa does not merely require a voice in the international order's decisions; it necessitates permanent, structured, and unified representation at the table where these decisions are made. The ongoing debates in New York provide a timely opportunity for African leaders, the African Union, and the broader international community to transition from rhetoric to reform. The world and Africa have waited long enough for this change.",
  "summary": "As world leaders gather in New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly, the conversation on Security Council reform has once again returned to the centre of global diplomacy. The current Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has repeatedly reminded member states that the architecture built in 1945 no longer reflects the world of today, and nowhere is that gap…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}