Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga explained his vision for the continent of Africa when he debated Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar who are also seeking to lead the African Union Commission.
The former Prime Minister was eloquent as he articulated his vision for Africa, with his understanding of continental issues outstanding during the Mjadala Afrika debate in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday.
Raila was well-prepared for the debate and seized the moment to outline his agenda and vision for the continent while seeking to convince member states to vote for him in the elections scheduled for February 2025.
Raila to push for Africa to get 2 seats with veto powers on UN Security Council
He asserted that he will lobby for Africa to have two permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council should he become the African Union Commission Chairperson in February next year.
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.
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He noted that the two members must have veto powers and will not only be able to stop proposed resolutions from becoming operational, but will also promote the continent's interests when discussing global security.
Reforms at the UN to align with current realities
While prosecuting his case, Raila noted that the UN was formed when African states were still colonies and their interests and representation was not a factor at the time.
Several decades later, African states remain unequal partners in the UN when it comes to veto powers.
This is long overdue. UN was formed at a time when most African countries were colonies and that's why it doesn't deal with the realities of today. In a situation where 5 countries have veto powers and Africa is not represented is not tenable.
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Only the five permanent members within the UN Security Council (China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States) can exercise veto powers, something that Raila will be seeking to change.
Reforms in global financing structures
Raila noted that he will also champion for reforms in the international financial structure that has worked against the continent.
He averred that the international financing structure has become a heavy burden for the continent with African countries borrowing loans at high interest rates and sinking into debt.
His solution to this is establishing alternative financing that would enable African countries to create a pool of funds to borrow from at low interest rates as an alternative to the international financial structure that has worked against the continent.
The international financing structure has worked against Africa because countries borrow at high interest rates compared to other nations. We need to address this issue. Africa is the richest in terms of resources but it's also the poorest in terms of living conditions.
Africa has been pushing for a stronger voice on the global stage, while also championing the continent’s shared priorities, protecting its interests and accelerating Africa’s development agenda.