African nations push for lasting representation in global security council as three politicians seek permanent UN Security Council seats to represent the continent with its youngest population.
African Union Chairperson Candidates Advocate for Permanent UN Security Council Seats
Three African politicians seeking to head the African Union detailed their plans on regional security amid conflicts and political coups while strongly advocating for inter-Africa trade among other issues.
Enhancing Regional Security and Stability
The three candidates, Raila Odinga of Kenya, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti, and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar, participated in a two-hour debate in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they all advocated for two permanent seats for African countries in the U.N. Security Council to effectively represent the continent with the youngest population.
Odinga emphasized that two permanent seats with veto power were “a must for Africa” and considered only fair since the continent has more than 50 countries. He urged member states to speak with one voice on who would represent Africa in the UNSC. Randriamandrato encouraged countries to take charge of their internal security while cautioning that foreign military bases should be a thing of the past because they could be a source of conflict.
Strengthening Inter-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation
Despite the continent’s young population of 1.3 billion set to double by 2050, regional trade has faced challenges addressed in the Friday debate. Odinga proposed that Africa had a huge domestic market it could leverage on for economic transformation by opening up opportunities for trade between African countries.
Youssouf proposed a payment compensation system to ensure countries don’t lose out while trading in different currencies, adding, “are we going to have a single currency, why not?” Randriamandrato highlighted the role of regional economic blocs like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa in easing inter-Africa trade.
Implementing African Union Reforms
The candidates also discussed proposed reforms on the African Union‘s structure and leadership aimed at achieving its purpose. Youssouf acknowledged that key reforms were facing a funding bottleneck, stating that it had to change but would not impose it on member states; instead, he would advocate for it.
With the February election approaching, the three candidates are seeking to convince most African countries to support their bids to succeed African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki.
