Prof. Opoku-Agyemang demands a permanent African voice on the UN Security Council

Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang launched a critique of the international geopolitical architecture on Saturday, 16 May 2026, at the Oxford Africa Conference 2026, branding the current system of global governance as fundamentally unbalanced. She argued that the systemic exclusion of African nations from critical decision-making tables undermines the very democracy Western institutions claim to champion. She noted, "If institutions and democracy are to remain legitimate, they must remain responsive to contemporary realities. For many African states, the continued absence of meaningful African representation within key global decision structures, particularly, the United Nations Security Council remains a source of growing imbalance between the distribution of global power and the structures through which that power is exercised. But legitimacy is shaped beyond representation. It is also shaped by outcomes."

Professor Opoku-Agyemang stressed that symbolic representation inside the UN chamber is meaningless if the international financial architecture remains rigged against developing markets. She highlighted the aggressive economic headwinds currently facing African nations, pointing specifically to punitive sovereign borrowing costs and restricted access to international capital. The two-day summit, running from 16 to 17 May 2026, marks the 16th edition of the conference.

The conference is themed "Anchoring Africa: Grounded Leadership in the Age of Disruption." Speakers are tasked with charting a self-reliant path forward for the continent. The forum aims to shift the narrative from identifying African problems to implementing practical, Africa-centred solutions.