Ghana has used one of the world’s most important multilateral disarmament forums to call for concrete steps toward eliminating nuclear weapons, warning that the credibility of the global non-proliferation regime is being steadily eroded by inaction and division among member states.
Ambassador Samuel Yao Kumah, Ghana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, delivered the country’s position at the Eleventh Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which is taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from April 27 to May 22, 2026.
Ghana aligned itself with the African Group and the Non-Aligned Movement, both of which are pressing for balanced progress across the treaty’s three pillars: disarmament, non-proliferation, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Ambassador Kumah argued that the absence of consensus during preparatory meetings reflects deepening divisions and signals an urgent need for compromise before the conference concludes.
He described nuclear weapons as an existential threat whose humanitarian consequences cannot be justified under any circumstances, and expressed particular concern over the continued modernisation and expansion of nuclear arsenals by weapon states, which he said directly contradicts the treaty’s objectives. He called on nuclear powers to honour their legal and political commitments by taking concrete, verifiable steps toward elimination rather than issuing commitments without follow-through.
The warning carries additional weight given the conference’s recent track record. Both the 2015 and 2022 Review Conferences failed to reach agreement on a substantive final document, leaving the regime without a renewed consensus mandate for more than a decade.
Ghana’s position was not limited to disarmament. Ambassador Kumah reaffirmed support for the peaceful use of nuclear technology, particularly for developing countries seeking to advance health services, agriculture, and energy security. He called for stronger cooperation through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure that access to nuclear technology is equitable and not restricted by geopolitical considerations.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, also addressing the conference, described the NPT as a stabilising force in an uncertain global environment while cautioning against narratives in some countries that present nuclear acquisition as a legitimate national security strategy. He highlighted growing demand for nuclear energy among developing nations and noted increasing collaboration between the IAEA and the World Bank to support nuclear energy projects in lower-income economies.
Ghana’s engagement with the conference runs deeper than this year’s address. Ambassador Harold Agyeman, Ghana’s Permanent Representative, chaired the third and final preparatory session for this conference, held in New York in 2025, giving Accra a direct hand in shaping the procedural foundations of the current review.
