The hallowed halls of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) have, for decades, echoed with speeches that blend diplomacy with national interest.
Last Thursday, President John Dramani Mahama added a powerful, unapologetic, and distinctly African voice to that chorus, a voice that must be heard not as a plea, but as a proclamation of an inevitable future.
Addressing the 80th session of the UNGA, the President did more than just outline Ghana’s progress under his administration’s “reset agenda.”
He delivered a seminal treatise on the urgent need for a fundamental recalibration of the global order, arguing compellingly that the future of our world is inextricably linked to the fortunes of Africa.
The core of President Mahama’s argument rests on a simple, undeniable truth: the current architecture of global governance is an antique, built for a world that no longer exists.
As he aptly noted, the sun has long set on the empires of 1945, but their anachronistic shadow still falls over the UN Security Council.
The principle of “sovereign equality of all its members,” enshrined in the UN Charter, rings hollow when a continent of 54 nations is permanently locked out of the council’s most powerful chamber.
For 30 years, since the great Nelson Mandela stood in the same spot, African leaders have asked for a permanent seat with the power of veto.
President Mahama’s question: “If not now, then when?” is one that this august body must answer.
The concentration of veto power in the hands of five nations, with no mechanism for challenge, is a recipe for paralysis, as we have seen in numerous conflicts.
A reformed Security Council is not a concession to Africa; it is a necessity for the legitimacy and efficacy of the UN itself.
Beyond the politics of the Security Council, the President rightly called for a reset of a global financial architecture “rigged against Africa.”
The paradox is stark: the Global North, responsible for the lion’s share of greenhouse gas emissions, watches as the Global South, including Africa, bears the brunt of climate change, creating waves of climate refugees.
Then, these same refugees are met with xenophobia and dog-whistle politics when they seek safer shores.
The poignant recital of Warsan Shire’s poem, “No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land,” should serve as a moral wake-up call to all.
At home, President Mahama confidently pointed to Ghana’s own “reset” as a microcosm of what is possible.
The significant reduction in inflation, the appreciation of the cedi, and renewed investor confidence demonstrate that with sound policy and political will, African nations can engineer their own destinies.
This success fuels the larger argument: Africa is done with being a supplicant.
We are ready to be a sovereign partner, demanding a bigger share of the value from our own natural resources and an end to the exploitative concessions of the past.
The speech also tackled difficult truths with refreshing candour.
The call to stop the “collective punishment” in Gaza, the demand for recognition of the slave trade as the greatest crime against humanity, and the push for reparations are not merely rhetorical points.
They are foundational to healing historical wounds and building a just and equitable future.
As the African Champion on Reparations, Ghana’s intended motion at the UN is a historic step that deserves the full support of the continent.
President Mahama’s vision is clear.
He sees an Africa that is a “catalyst for systemic change,” a continent whose youthful population and untapped potential make it the definitive shape of things to come.
“The future is African,” he declared, not as a threat, but as a statistical reality and a promise.
The Daily Graphic stands firmly behind the principles articulated by the President.
The world must choose: it can either cling to the outdated structures of the past and risk the fate of the League of Nations, or it can embrace a necessary reset, one that gives Africa its rightful seat at the table.
For the sake of global peace, security and prosperity, for the sake of the 18-year-old daughters across our continent, we must choose the latter.
The world should listen; Africa is no longer asking, it is asserting.
