President John Dramani Mahama has told world leaders gathered at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York that the future of humanity will be shaped by Africa, and warned that the UN itself must undergo a bold “reset” to remain relevant.
In a stirring address, the Ghanaian leader said Africa, once excluded from global decision-making, now stands at the heart of humanity’s future.
“By 2050, one in four people will be African. One third of the world’s youth will live on our continent. The future is African,” he declared, urging the international community to abandon outdated attitudes rooted in racism, colonialism and imperialism.
President Mahama called for sweeping reforms to the UN system, including permanent African representation on the Security Council and limits to the use of veto power.
“No single nation should be able to exercise an absolute veto to serve its own interests,” he said, echoing Nelson Mandela’s call 30 years ago for equity and diversity within the UN’s power structures.
He also demanded a reset of the global financial architecture, which he described as “rigged against Africa,” and called for reparations for slavery and colonial exploitation.
Ghana, he said, will table a motion recognising the transatlantic slave trade as “the greatest crime against humanity.”
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Turning to contemporary crises, President Mahama condemned what he called the “collective punishment” of Palestinians in Gaza, supported a two-state solution, and decried the denial of visas to President Abbas and his delegation as a dangerous precedent.
He highlighted the humanitarian disaster in Sudan and urged equal compassion for African refugees as was shown to Ukrainians.
On climate justice, the President of Mahama warned that the Global South bears the harshest effects of climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions.
“When the desert encroaches and our villages and towns become unlivable, we are forced to flee,” he said whiles insisting that migration must not be criminalised.
The Ghanaian leader also made a passionate appeal for Africa to take sovereignty over its natural resources, ending lopsided deals that enrich foreign interests while leaving local communities in poverty.
“We are tired of people extracting the most they can from us and, in return, offering us the very least by way of respect and dignity,” he declared.
President Mahama his address with a call to women and girls empowerment, noting Ghana’s own milestone with the election of its first female Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.
“Words matter, but representation matters even more,” he said.
He prophesied that that the UN must one day be led by a woman Secretary-General, stating that, “the United Nations must remain the town square in our global village,” and reminded the Assembly that. “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. The question is: will we make her just and fair?”
