African states have cautioned that escalating tensions among nuclear-armed powers pose severe humanitarian, environmental and security threats, renewing calls for urgent global action to eliminate nuclear weapons.
This came to light at the close of the West and Central African Regional Conference on the Universalisation and Implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in Accra, where participants examined the risks associated with nuclear weapons in the current global security environment.
Speakers at the conference noted that the possibility of nuclear weapons use, whether by accident, miscalculation or deliberate action, is higher than at any point since the Cold War, with consequences that would extend far beyond the states directly involved.
Delivering the closing remarks, Ghana’s Coordinating Director for Multilateral and International Organisations, Ambassador Francis D. Kotia, said any nuclear detonation would result in mass casualties and long-lasting damage to ecosystems, economies, food systems and public health, affecting both present and future generations.
He stressed that Africa’s rejection of nuclear weapons is grounded in lived realities, describing nuclear disarmament as not only a moral imperative but a security necessity for the continent.
“We have examined Africa’s security concerns in a rapidly deteriorating global strategic environment, reflected on the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and reaffirmed the relevance of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as a critical instrument for strengthening international peace and security” Ambassador Kotia said
Discussions during the session highlighted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as the only international agreement that comprehensively bans nuclear weapons, filling long-standing legal gaps in global disarmament efforts. Participants also explored the treaty’s alignment with Africa’s existing nuclear-free framework under the Treaty of Pelindaba and the continent’s peace and security architecture.
Delegates from across West and Central Africa provided updates on the status of the treaty in their respective countries, outlining domestic ratification processes, challenges encountered and areas where technical and political support are required to advance implementation.
The conference also underscored Africa’s role in shaping the future of nuclear disarmament, particularly as preparations begin for the first Review Conference of the TPNW, to be chaired by South Africa later this year.
Also speaking at the closing session, Deputy Head of Mission at the Austrian Embassy in Ghana, Sandra Gintsberger, said Africa had long rejected nuclear weapons as instruments of security, a position adopted well before the global ban treaty through the Treaty of Pelindaba.
She noted that while Africa remains one of the strongest supporters of the TPNW, a number of states on the continent are yet to join the treaty, making regional engagement and peer learning critical.
“We owe it to the legacy of those who had to experience the devastating impacts be it from the use or around 2,000 tests. We owe it to our population security and we owe it to all of future generations that this last weapon of mass destruction is finally eliminated. The only realistic and scientifically grounded way to achieve this is by joining the TPNW and becoming a state’s party and hopefully also joining the next conference in New York.” She indicated
Participants agreed that wider universalisation of the treaty would strengthen its humanitarian foundation, close implementation gaps and amplify the collective voice of non-nuclear-weapon states.
The conference ended with a renewed call for political will, regional cooperation and international support to accelerate Africa’s contribution to a world free of nuclear weapons.
