President Akufo-Addo addresses 75th Session of United Nations General Assembly

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 addressed the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly.

For the first time in the history of the United Nations, each Member State, Observer State, and the European Union, was invited to submit a pre-recorded video, delivered by its designated high-level official.

The videos are played in the General Assembly Hall following introduction by representatives of each state, present physically.

Ghana's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, introduced President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

President Akufo-Addo touched on the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of everyone and the benefits of technology in these difficult times; the need for restructuring of the global financing architecture, to enable access to fresh capital by developing nations and; a call to reform the world body to reflect Africa’s Common Position on UN Reform, as set out in the Ezulwini Consensuson.

President Akufo-Addo assured the world body of a transparent, free, fair, safe and credible elections in Ghana in December, adding that "at the end of the elections, we shall be proud of ourselves, Africa will have good cause to be proud of us, and the rest of the world will find lessons to learn from us."

On the political situation in the sub-region, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo noted that "It is incumbent on the UN and, indeed, all Member States to lend their support to the efforts being made by ECOWAS to restore normalcy to Mali, and help us defeat the scourge of terrorism."

Finally, he reflected on the 400th anniversary of the transatlantic slave trade in 2019, at which time Ghana played a significant role by welcoming hundreds of Africans in the diaspora to their root.

He said Ghana has every intention to open its doors to members of the African Diaspora who find Ghana a safe haven.