President Bola Tinubu has called for sweeping reforms at the United Nations to give Africa permanent representation on the Security Council.
Tinubu said Africa deserves two permanent seats with full privileges, including the right of veto, as well as additional non-permanent seats in line with the Ezulwini consensus and Sirte declaration.
“It is the view of Nigeria that Africa’s quest for fair and equitable representation in the UN Security Council is a just and fair demand,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu made the demand on Wednesday during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan.
Delivering his intervention at the plenary session on peace and stability, Tinubu emphasized the need for fresh thinking in addressing Africa’s development challenges.
He highlighted the importance of inclusivity, diversity, and the rule of law in promoting peace and stability on the continent.
Tinubu referred the recent peace agreements brokered in the Congo as examples of how mediation linked with economic investment can deliver results.
“In the past, competition for resources has weakened states and triggered conflict. Now, we see mediators directly linking outcomes to investment in Congo,” he said.
“It is working and underlines the need for fresh thinking in everything we do to deliver peace and stability.”
Tinubu also emphasized the need for market-driven partnerships across borders, urging countries to move beyond “hackneyed appeals for aid and handouts”.
Also speaking, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba highlighted his country’s commitment to Africa’s growth, announcing a new collaborative framework with the African Development Bank (AfDB) that will channel up to $5.5 billion in financing to the continent through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) private sector investment.
“Japan is providing various cooperation and support for Africa. But first of all, Japan needs to know more about Africa,” Ishiba said.
Ishiba underscored the importance of youth empowerment and the positives of Africa’s youthful population.
“There is another potential in Africa; there is so much growing young population in Africa, but for the power of young people in Africa to flourish, you need to create a manufacturing industry and create employment, and that, I believe, is very important,” he said.
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