By Dr Baboloki Semele; The world finds itself at a crucial inflection point, where the limitations of the existing global governance system are impossible to ignore. Multilateral institutions born from the ashes of World War II are struggling to address today’s complex challenges; rising geopolitical tensions, unequal economic structures, escalating climate crises, and the resurgence of militarism. In this moment of reckoning, the call to reimagine global governance is no longer an idealistic plea but a necessary transformation. Africa, long marginalized in global decision-making, is emerging not only as a critical voice but as a legitimate architect of this reimagined global order, one anchored in equity, justice, and inclusive participation.
The African Union’s 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” is timely and symbolic. It recognizes that the current global order is not merely broken, it was never designed with Africans in mind. Colonial legacies, extractive economic systems, and imbalanced power structures are not just historical wounds but living realities. If justice is to be achieved for Africans and people of African descent, then Africa must play a central role in reshaping the rules, institutions, and ideologies that govern the world. This moment requires Africa to move from the periphery of global governance to its core assertively, strategically, and collectively.
Africa’s longstanding demand for United Nations Security Council reform through the Committee of Ten (C-10) is a litmus test of the global community’s commitment to justice. For decades, Africa has advocated for two permanent seats and five non-permanent seats on the Security Council, based on the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. These are not mere demands for symbolic inclusion; they are necessary corrections to a systemic imbalance. Africa constitutes nearly 30% of UN member states and shoulders a disproportionate burden of global peacekeeping missions, yet remains excluded from the Council’s permanent decision-making table. The continent’s exclusion undermines the legitimacy of the Council itself and renders the UN’s commitment to democratic principles hollow. Reform must be comprehensive, not piecemeal. The Global South, and Africa in particular, must no longer be relegated to passive beneficiaries of decisions taken elsewhere but must be integral to the forums where these decisions are shaped.
Beyond the global arena, Africa has made significant strides in crafting its own governance and peace frameworks. The African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA) are institutional manifestations of the continent’s determination to take ownership of its future. APSA, with its five pillars; the Peace and Security Council, the Continental Early Warning System, the Panel of the Wise, the African Standby Force, and the Peace Fund demonstrates Africa’s capacity to anticipate, prevent, and respond to conflicts. Meanwhile, AGA, as the political arm, underscores the AU’s commitment to democratic consolidation, human rights, rule of law, and constitutional order.
The synergies between APSA and AGA are increasingly critical in a time where peace and governance are interdependent. We can no longer treat conflict as a security issue divorced from questions of governance. Coups, electoral violence, and political unrest in parts of West and Central Africa reflect this. The security-development-governance nexus must be at the heart of continental strategies. A reimagined global governance model must recognize and integrate Africa’s homegrown approaches. APSA and AGA are not only African innovations, they are contributions to global governance theory and practice. Their principles must inform international frameworks on peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and democratic transitions.
Africa’s influence must also be felt in the ongoing reform of multilateral financial institutions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and World Trade Organization (WTO) are still operating on outdated quota systems and ideologies that disproportionately benefit the Global North. Africa needs more than concessional loans and emergency responses; it needs a seat at the table where economic policies are designed. Africa’s young population, technological potential, and natural resources position it as the future of global growth. However, to fully participate, reforms must democratize financial governance, enable debt restructuring with fairness, and recognize African development models not rooted in austerity but in equity, social investment, and sustainability.
As the world shifts from unipolarity to multipolarity, new actors and coalitions are emerging; BRICS, G20, and others. Africa must seize this geopolitical realignment to assert its voice. The inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 in 2023 was a positive step, but symbolic gestures are not enough. The continent must proactively use such platforms to shape global norms on peace, security, and development. This includes championing climate justice, digital equity, gender equality, and fair trade. African negotiators must be equipped, coordinated, and confident in asserting continental positions, backed by strong internal consensus and accountability.
Furthermore, Africa must lead in redefining the principles of multilateralism itself. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of the current system, vaccine nationalism, export bans, and weakened global solidarity. Africa must push for a multilateralism that is not transactional but transformational, one that places people before profits and justice before politics. The continent’s Ubuntu philosophy “I am because we are” offers a moral compass for this reimagined order. Africa can infuse global governance with a renewed emphasis on solidarity, respect for human dignity, and collective responsibility.
This also calls for introspection. Africa’s push for global reform must be matched by internal renewal. Regional economic communities (RECs), the Pan-African Parliament, and AU institutions must be strengthened to serve as credible pillars of integration and governance. Youth, women, and marginalized communities must be included in decision-making. Political will must be harnessed to implement AU instruments, from the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). If we are to shape the global stage, we must first lead effectively at home.
Let us be fair and honest, Africa is not merely asking to join the global conversation, it is offering to rewrite the script. Our experience with conflict resolution, indigenous governance systems, and regional cooperation has valuable lessons for the world. But for Africa to influence the evolution of global norms on peace, security, and sustainable development, we must continue to lead with unity, credibility, and purpose. We must speak with one voice not as 55 fragmented states but as a continent united by shared values and aspirations. The African Union, through frameworks like Agenda 2063, provides the vision. The time has come to align our voice, our diplomacy, and our collective ambition with that vision.
A reimagined global governance system must reflect the realities and hopes of all humanity. For too long, Africa has been excluded, spoken for, or dictated to. But the tides are turning. Justice for Africans and people of African descent will not come through charity or rhetoric. It will come when Africa sits at every global table not as a guest, but as an equal firm in its values, rich in its contributions, and unapologetic in its demand for a just and equitable world.
DR Baboloki Semele is the Founder and Executive Director of the Youth for Gender Equality Foundation, Expert Validator with the African Union High Level Panel on Emerging Technologies, and a specialist in communication, governance, security and regional policy.