UN Chief Calls for Africa's Permanent Seat on Security Council at NYC Summit

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for Africa to hold a permanent seat on the UN Security Council at the Unstoppable Africa 2026 summit in New York on September 20, saying the continent's growing weight in global markets must translate into a stronger voice in international affairs. “Africa needs a permanent presence on the United Nations Security Council, where it can contribute to dialogue and action for the whole globe,” he said.

The event was the fifth edition of the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) flagship gathering. It took place at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, alongside the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, according to a statement from the UN Global Compact. Guterres also urged reforms that better reflect the needs of developing countries, particularly in Africa. He said the continent's natural resources, including critical minerals, should generate more local value and decent jobs instead of simply being exported.

The Council's five permanent members are the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. No African state holds a permanent seat, and the African Union has long pressed for two.

African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said Africa's 1.5 billion people and growing market offer a major opportunity. He said the continent must speed up the development of African value chains and remove trade barriers. He named affordable energy, better infrastructure, access to finance, skills, technology and clear standards as the requirements for faster growth. Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the US President on Arab and African Affairs, also attended.

The Leaders Panel included Aliko Dangote of the Dangote Group, Samaila Zubairu of the Africa Finance Corporation, Standard Chartered's Mandy DeFilippo, Standard Bank Group chair Nonkululeko Nyembezi, Anglo American South Africa chair Nolitha Fakude and Tidjane Thiam of Allied Critical Minerals Fund. They stressed moving beyond raw exports of critical minerals and crude oil toward local processing and manufacturing.

Organisers announced that the US$300 million Nigeria Distributed Renewable Energy Fund, co-managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and Africa50, has reached its first close. It will provide equity to local clean-energy developers and supports Mission 300, which aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

The summit continues on September 21 with sessions on digital transformation, investment, creative industries and sport.