Why Africa Is Still Without a Permanent Seat on UN Security Council

Africa’s long-standing campaign for permanent representation on the United Nations Security Council has once again taken centre stage at the 81st UN General Assembly, but key disagreements continue to prevent progress on reform.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed calls for Security Council reform, saying the body must become more representative and reflect the geopolitical realities of the modern world.

Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, while delivering President Bola Tinubu’s national statement, called for at least two permanent seats for Africa with veto powers, as long as the veto system remains, alongside five non-permanent seats for the continent.

Ghana’s President John Mahama also backed the demand, arguing that reform should not be viewed as a favour to Africa but as necessary for the legitimacy and credibility of the United Nations.

Why has reform stalled?

The UN Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.

The five permanent members have veto powers, allowing any one of them to block substantive resolutions. No African country currently holds a permanent seat.

Africa, however, remains central to much of the Council’s work. In 2025, the Council adopted 44 resolutions, 24 of them under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Eighteen of those Chapter VII resolutions concerned Africa.

Former Nigerian Foreign Minister and former UN Ambassador Professor Ibrahim Gambari said the existing permanent members have little incentive to give up their privileged position.

He argued that Africa’s exclusion is difficult to justify given the continent’s size and its importance to the Security Council’s agenda.

Formal negotiations on Security Council reform began in 2008 and have continued for years without agreement on issues including the Council’s size, membership categories, regional representation and veto powers.

Any change to permanent membership would also require an amendment to the UN Charter. Such an amendment needs approval by two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN member states, including all five existing permanent members.

Nigeria seeks a permanent seat

Nigeria has repeatedly presented itself as a potential African permanent member of the Security Council.

At the 81st General Assembly, it renewed its call for at least two permanent African seats with the same rights and responsibilities as existing permanent members, including veto powers for as long as the veto remains.

Other countries, including Egypt and South Africa, have also sought permanent representation.

However, the African Union has not selected specific countries to occupy the proposed seats. Its Ezulwini Consensus calls for at least two permanent African seats and five non-permanent seats on an expanded Security Council, with the AU deciding which countries would represent the continent.

The veto remains a major issue

Another unresolved question is whether new African permanent members would receive veto powers.

The AU position calls for any new permanent African members to enjoy the same rights and privileges as the current permanent members, including veto power for as long as the veto remains part of the Council's system.

African governments argue that simply creating permanent seats without equivalent powers would not fully address the imbalance they want to correct.

For now, several major questions remain unanswered: how many new permanent members should be created, which African countries would occupy them, whether they would receive veto powers, and whether the existing permanent members would agree to the changes.

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