The West and Central African Regional Conference on the Universalization and Implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was held in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, on Tuesday, with calls on the global community to ensure the end of the possession of weapons of mass destruction for a secure world.
The one-day 17-nation conference hosted by Ghana which ratified the treaty last September, and Austria, in its capacity as co-chair of the informal working group on the universalization of the treaty and other stakeholders seeks among other things to raise awareness about the humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and about the TPNW, its importance for African states, and its place in the global and regional peace and security architecture.
Adedeji Ebo, Director and Deputy to the High Representative at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), said in his opening remarks that nuclear weapons remain a global threat, and Africa’s role in pushing for nuclear disarmament is crucial both for the continent’s own security and global peace.
Ebo noted that Africa possesses a strong moral high authority to lead the fight for abolishing nuclear weapons, as the continent has collectively renounced nuclear weapons through the Pelindaba Treaty.
“African states have turned their back on nuclear armament, even when some have argued that it was the currency of power. This gives Africa the strong moral authority and perhaps the obligation to play a leading role in multilateral development,” the UNODA official pointed out.
While it may not possess nuclear arsenals, the official observed that Africa is not insulated from the nuclear threat and has already witnessed and felt the effects of nuclear detonation in the Sahara between 1960 and 1966, which spread radioactive dust on African soil, causing serious and lasting harm to nearby populations and to the environment.
Celine Nahoy, Director of Government Relations for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), noted that it is unfair for Africa to free itself from colonialism, only to be maimed by nuclear weapons.
Nahoy condemned the situation where a few countries possess nuclear weapons while the vast majority are prohibited from owning them, urging the global community to ensure the elimination of nuclear weapons for a safer and more just world.
Khadija Iddrisu, Chief Director of Ghana’s foreign affairs ministry, reiterated Ghana’s position that “the existence of nuclear weapons constitutes the greatest threat to the survival of mankind” and “the prohibition of nuclear weapons is not only a legal obligation but a moral imperative owed to future generations.”