African States are uniquely positioned within the international community to embrace irreversible nuclear disarmament (IND). African States can leverage their regional disarmament success and decades of commitment to nuclear disarmament, by adopting irreversibility as a novel strategy for addressing existing disarmament commitments while preparing for a nuclear weapons-free world. The current international security climate, characterized by an increased quantitative arms race, prospects of nuclear weapons proliferation, extended deterrence, and other acts inconsistent with Article VI objectives, has sparked an urgency to seek alternative means of restoring collective peace and security. Creativity and innovation are required to diffuse the current diplomatic impasse within the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference Cycle. In this regard, African States have an opportunity to champion the irreversibility principle first brought up at the 2000 NPT Review Conference vis-a-vis Article VI commitments. Article VI of the NPT imposes an obligation on State parties to pursue negotiations for the cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament in good faith. Despite the current lack and politicization of transparency, empty virtue signaling, and non-nuclear weapons states’ (NNWS) frustration with the new nuclear arms race, NNWS should not give up their disarmament ambition. NNWS should envision a future without nuclear weapons where the nuclear industrial complex and reliance on nuclear weapons as part of the military utility is diffused and maintained. As much as this disarmament foresight anchors on political factors that cannot be achieved now due to the geopolitical climate, African States should approach the irreversibility discourse as a means to achieve present fundamental disarmament commitments, amplify their voice within the NPT process and challenge nuclear weapons states’ (NWS) framing of irreversible nuclear disarmament in the ongoing debate. This commentary highlights African States’ conception of irreversibility and associated reservations, how to achieve and maintain irreversibility, and the incentives for African States to embrace irreversibility ahead of the 2026 NPT Review Conference and beyond. African States’ Conception of Irreversibility and Associated Reservations African States’ conception of IND is informed by their denuclearization success on the continent, proximity with South Africa’s apartheid regime, and the French nuclear test that caused disproportionate harm to communities in Algeria. For African States, nuclear weapons represent tools to promote illegitimate global governance and circumvention of international law, hence their urgency to level the playing field by completely eliminating nuclear weapons. Nuclear-weapon states (the “haves) have undermined their promise of disarmament with non-nuclear weapon states in the NPT by abusing the foundational nature of good faith in which this instrument was agreed upon. The perpetual disregard of disarmament has accelerated the divide between the nuclear armed states and those without nuclear weapons. Also, nuclear weapons have not only been used as a deterrent tool, but instead have been leveraged to undermine international law, leaving non-nuclear weapons states in a disadvantaged position. This is exhibited in the Russia-Ukraine war, in which several times Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine and its allies. The reliance on nuclear weapons by NWS to continue circumventing international law and compromise the tenets of security in other countries has placed non-nuclear weapons states in a vulnerable position. Although the NPT state parties recognize irreversibility, transparency and verification as essential to fulfilling Article VI commitments, certain practitioners, state representatives, and stakeholders from the Global South exhibit skepticism about the pursuit of IND. Particularly, Global South countries are concerned about the timing of discussions on irreversible nuclear disarmament, rather than criticizing the principle’s ethos and embedded value to disarmament. In this case, Global South stakeholders regard pursuing IND as a distraction from attaining tangible disarmament progress and undermines the present fundamental dialogue that needs to be addressed on existing disarmament commitments. The Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (VERTIC) attempted to provide practical steps against nuclear rearmament. Nevertheless, there is a sentiment that more effort should be dedicated towards areas that can be quantified like verification and transparency, instead of pursuing irreversibility—an ambitious and futuristic pursuit. The rationale behind this view does not recognize the complementary nature of these principles in pursuit of disarmament. Instead, it reveals how some stakeholders perceive the principle of irreversibility as an undertaking that takes place after disarmament, and not a concurrent exercise. Presently, African States are advocating for concrete steps to ensure nuclear weapons disarmament, including the reduction of nuclear weapons stockpiles and the establishment of a specified time frame for disarmament commitments under Article VI of the NPT. There is growing frustration from NNWS over the pace of progress towards global disarmament, which is increasing the divide between the NWS and NNWS. Achieving and Maintaining Irreversibility Africa’s regional disarmament success in the case of South Africa informs the discussions about irreversible nuclear disarmament. Specifically, South Africa’s disarmament involved an unparalleled degree of transparency, cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and political commitment. South Africa faced international and domestic pressures, and some challenges were revealed in the verification process. South Africa was the first country to dismantle an indigenous nuclear weapons program in 1991 and officially announce it in 1993. The South African government changed its nuclear deterrent strategy and embraced disarmament due to regional and international pressure as well as the quest for South Africa to reintegrate itself into the international community. This shift also stemmed from the approaching domestic transition of power, the diffused security threat in the southern region from the Cuban forces, and Soviet influence. Unlike Iraq’s confrontational inspections, South Africa authorized the IAEA to verify its nuclear disarmament. Since South Africa destroyed associated technical information before welcoming the IAEA, which created challenges in the verification process difficulties estimating uranium hold-up in the equipment. While the definition of irreversibility is still a contentious issue within disarmament discourse, there appears to be a consensus that a comprehensive understanding of IND necessitates the examination of critical areas, including institutional participation, technical aspects, and normative and political influences. All these underlying themes are consistent with African States’ quest to address the shortcomings of the current nuclear based order and propose reform. Consistent with the available scholarship on irreversibility as a spectrum—making former NWS consideration of rearmament too far-fetched even with the existence of political will due to the level of difficulty and cost— the author understands irreversibility as managing latency and hedging, since achieving absolute irreversibility is impractical. Nuclear latency is a condition where a state has the means to produce nuclear weapons but does not have weaponized nuclear materials and is not developing them. Nuclear hedging is managing risks and protecting oneself against adverse circumstances, which might include “rearmament”. In this regard, maintaining irreversibility is sustaining the environment created by the management of latency and hedging. This is achieved by providing sufficient assurances of compliance through verification measures that ensure the highest level of irreversibility. This understanding of achieving and maintaining irreversibility illuminates the fundamental role played by verification to ensure the highest level of irreversibility. The ability to readily detect noncompliance from former nuclear weapons states gives assurances to other states and plays a significant role in deterring nuclear hedging. Irreversibility’s Value in Realizing Present Disarmament Commitments It is imperative to note that despite the 2022 NPT Review Conference’s failure to approve the final document, it advocated for the realization of a common understanding of the application of irreversibility by all state parties to achieve Article VI objectives. Like Latin America’s regional position, Africa has mentioned the principle of irreversibility within the NPT process without delving into discussions about how IND dovetails with the existing arms control and disarmament regime. The 2026 NPT Review Conference presents an opportunity for Africa to do as such. The application of irreversibility is consistent with the legal norm established by Article VI of the NPT. To achieve both disarmament and irreversibility, a measure of good faith is required from all states. Consistent with the 2023 Wilton Park workshop’s approach to IND, the application of irreversibility will establish the necessary contours to boost confidence and trust among states, This will promote a positive multilateral disarmament environment, which is urgently needed right now to break the diplomatic impasse. As historic advocates of disarmament, African States can inject the irreversibility discourse into the 2026 NPT Review Conference Cycle. This approach strengthens foundational pillars of confidence and trust among state parties discussing the prospects of the future of disarmament and how that can be approached. The introduction of IND is achievable since irreversibility is an underexplored principle that is not yet highly politicized in comparison to verification and transparency within the NPT process. With Ghana chairing the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), it is an ample opportunity for African States to show solidarity with an African counterpart, exert influence and embrace a leadership role by championing IND in their national statements at the NPT conference and setting the agenda. In addition, African States recognizing irreversibility as one of the key principles to diffuse the deadlock on disarmament dialogue will open room to unpack present key disarmament issues. This will be an ideal moment for African States to also shape the narrative around IND and not act as by-standers in the development of this underexplored principle. The application of irreversibility promotes a reflection and an assessment of the existing legal, technical, and political components and considerations for disarmament. The pursuit of irreversible nuclear disarmament requires tightening the existing arms control and disarmament machinery by inquiring whether these mechanisms make rearmament “difficult and costly”. This will include an assessment of the sufficiency of the existing multilateral disarmament fora, channels of diplomatic and technical engagement, verification mechanism, means and methods of application and enforcement. Henceforth, African States can approach irreversibility as a tool that reiterates commitments, exposes shortcomings, and offers an opportunity to strengthen the disarmament and arms control regime. Conclusion While the principle of irreversibility originally emerged in the NPT process at the 2000 NPT Review Conference,[1] irreversibility has been underexplored, and emphasis has instead been placed on transparency and verification. The current international security climate has ignited the growing skepticism of the feasibility and urgency of integrating the irreversibility in the disarmament debate. However, in the spirit of seeking creative and innovative options to break the current disarmament impasse within the NPT, embracing irreversibility is a viable option that not only offers prospects of what the future will look like but promotes the achievement of disarmament commitments now. Transparency and verification are also key to realizing irreversible nuclear disarmament and maintaining it. African States can embrace irreversibility to amplify their voice within the NPT process, becoming a strategic gateway for more constructive dialogues on existing disarmament commitments with nuclear weapons states and ultimately laying the foundational preparatory steps for irreversibility’s application in practice.