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President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has called on the United Nations (UN) to undertake sweeping reforms, urging the body to pursue what he described as a “reset” 80 years after its establishment.
Addressing the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Thursday, 25 September 2025, President Mahama argued that the UN’s founding charter is outdated. He emphasised that although the world has changed drastically in every sector and UN membership has nearly quadrupled since 1945, the structure of power remains skewed in favour of the post-World War II victors.
President Mahama strongly questioned Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent representation on the Security Council. Referring to Ghana’s Reset Agenda, he urged the UN to embark on a similar process of recalibration to ensure relevance in today’s world.
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President Mahama addressing the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Thursday, 25 September 2025,
He stated:
The UN’s founding charter is outdated when it comes to representation in this august Assembly. The most powerful post-World War II nations are still being rewarded with an almost totalitarian guardianship over the rest of the world.
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The President further pressed for permanent African representation, citing the UN Charter’s own declaration on sovereign equality:
If this principle were truly applied, a continent as large as Africa, with its numerous member states, would already have at least one permanent seat on the Security Council.
President John Mahama at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Thursday, 25 September 2025,
He also questioned the current veto arrangement, insisting that absolute power should not be concentrated in the hands of only five nations. Instead, he proposed a mechanism for the General Assembly to challenge vetoes in order to prevent unilateral decisions serving narrow national interests.
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The Security Council is presently composed of 15 members, including five permanent members — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.