By Fidel Boy Leon
When President Yoweri Museveni called for not less than two permanent seats for Africa on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), he wasn’t just making a diplomatic plea. He issued a moral declaration, a call to correct history, reshape global governance, and awaken a continent that has too often been spoken about, rather than spoken with.
Museveni’s words, delivered through Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Adonia Ayebare, during the 6th Summit of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10), went beyond politics. They are a direct challenge to the world’s conscience and a rallying cry to Africa’s intellectuals, youth, and governments.
At the founding of the United Nations in 1945, only four African countries had a seat at the global table. The rest of the continent was shackled under colonial domination. The international order that emerged from that moment excluded Africa by design, not by accident.
Museveni was right to frame this exclusion as a “historical injustice”, one that cannot be addressed through handshakes or polite diplomacy, but through bold reform and continental unity.
Today, Africa accounts for nearly 28% of the UN’s membership, with 54 independent states. And yet, the Security Council, the highest body in the global peace and security hierarchy, remains a relic of post-WWII power politics, where African lives are affected, but African voices are muted.
President Museveni’s call wasn’t just about numbers. He demanded two permanent seats with veto power, not symbolic tokens. Anything less would be another version of managed inclusion, a participation badge with no real decision-making power.
This distinction matters. Africa must refuse to settle for a seat at the table without the ability to shape the meal. As long as the veto remains the most powerful tool in the Council, Africa must hold it too, or be doomed to decisions made on its behalf.
For two decades, the C-10 has been tasked with advancing the Common African Position on UNSC reform. And while progress has been made in articulating Africa’s stance, Museveni’s speech demands a gear shift, from consensus-building to assertive action.
This is a moment for African youth to understand that global governance isn’t neutral, it’s shaped by power. And they must engage, organise, and advocate for structural justice. African academics and think tanks need to mobilise evidence, case studies, and thought leadership that backs the demand for reform. African governments should also shed political fragmentation and present a unified, non-negotiable front in multilateral negotiations.
The continent must not simply ask. It must insist, and build global alliances around this insistence.
The legitimacy of the United Nations hinges on its capacity to represent the world as it truly is. In 2025, that world includes an Africa that is no longer peripheral but central to global dynamics. With one of the youngest populations on earth, the continent holds the promise of demographic strength.
It is rich in critical natural resources that power global industries, and its contribution to global trade and innovation is steadily rising. Africa is also increasingly active in peacekeeping and international security. Any credible reform of the UN, particularly the Security Council, must reflect these realities and grant Africa the voice and influence it deserves.
To exclude this continent from permanent leadership within the UNSC is not just outdated, it is morally bankrupt.
Museveni’s statement should not be viewed as an isolated national plea. It is a pan-African vision, one that requires citizens, leaders, and institutions to move beyond applause and into action.
The “Africa We Want,” as envisioned by the African Union’s Agenda 2063, can’t materialise without representation where it matters most. A continent without power in the highest global forum on peace and security will remain vulnerable to decisions it didn’t make, sanctions it didn’t shape, and conflicts it didn’t cause.
President Museveni’s speech at the C-10 Summit should echo beyond the walls of diplomacy. It is a declaration of African dignity, a reminder that global justice begins with global fairness. Africa cannot remain a subject in someone else’s narrative.
Now is the time to organise, demand, and claim our rightful place. Not as recipients of sympathy, but as co-authors of a just world order.