Raila Proposes Two UN Seats for Africa During AUC Debate

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called for two permanent United Nations Security Council seats for Africa, a move that will increase the continent’s influence.

According to the long-time politician, Africa, which has 55 countries, has no permanent seat, while other regions like the European Union have three, and are being denied a voice on matters that often end up affecting the continent. “In a situation where 5 countries have veto powers and Africa is not represented, this is not justifiable,” Raila lamented.

While speaking during Mjadala Afrika, the debate for candidates seeking to lead the African Union Commission, on Friday, December 13, Raila asserted that under his term he will push for two permanent seats at the Council. 

“We are going to insist that Africa must get two permanent seats in the UN Security Council. We are a continent of 55 sovereign nations. We cannot be excluded when Europe has three permanent representatives. Representation with veto powers is a must for Africa,” stated Raila Odinga.

Raila was debating two other candidates, Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar, ahead of the elections slated for February 2025. The veteran politician painted a visionary picture of the Africa he is advocating for even as he sought to convince member states to vote for him.

All the other leaders also advocated for the two permanent seats for African countries in the UN Security Council to represent the continent effectively.

On his part, Youssouf argued that regional security could be enhanced if the resources for a regional standby force were increased to reduce the overreliance on foreign partnerships for resources.

“When there is no unity of purpose among neighbouring countries, peace will be compromised,” Youseff stated.

Randriamandrato promoted countries to take charge of their internal security while warning that foreign military bases should be a thing of the past as they could be a source of conflict.

China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are the only countries within the UN Security Council that can exercise veto powers. Not being among the countries, the African leaders have advocated for representation.

Apart from the security issues, the leaders also debated on the regional trade among the 55-member African states

Despite the continent’s young population of 1.3 billion, which is set to double by 2050, regional trade has faced challenges that the leaders discussed during the debate.

According to Raila, Africa has a huge domestic market that it could leverage for economic transformation by opening up opportunities for trade between African countries.

Both Randriamandrato and Youssouf echoed Raila’s sentiments and advocated for better inter-African trade for the growth of the continent.