UN Chief says world is losing due to injustices perpetuated towards Africa

The summit has brought together African Heads of State and governments to chart the future of a continent yearning to be free from aid and loans from the global north to fund its development. 

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres sustained calls for a fair multilateral system, as Africa remains underrepresented in the global system. 

Addressing delegates at the summit held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), the UN Chief argued that Africa has produced solutions to global risks such as climate emergencies, yet the world continues to sideline it. 

“This is not a continent waiting for solutions. This is a continent producing them. But let us be honest about what stands in Africa’s way,” said Guterres. 

The Secretary General reiterated that the global system is “designed without Africa – and still largely operating without Africa, perpetuating century-old injustice.”

He also referred to the international financial systems, which have exposed Africa to harsh credit systems and locked it out of meaningful borrowing. 

“And without the voice, representation, and decision-making power it deserves inside the international financial institutions that shape its economy. It is not Africa that loses. It is the world that loses by the fact that the voice of Africa is not taken into account,” said Guterres. 

The Secretary General believes that Africa’s inclusion in the global system is also through changes in the United Nations Security Council, where African countries do not have permanent membership and veto powers.

Similar calls have been made by Kenya’s President William Ruto, who advocates for Africa to get two seats in the Security Council.