President John Dramani Mahama has urged African countries to finance their own peace operations, warning that dependence on foreign governments leaves the continent with too little influence over decisions affecting its security.
Addressing the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, on October 24, he called for stronger African contributions to peace funding, action against illicit financial flows and investment in homegrown technological capacity.
“We must fund our own peace,” he said, arguing that responsibility for the continent’s security and development must rest with Africans.
Foreign funding carries consequences
Mahama cited financing difficulties surrounding the African Union’s security mission in Somalia as an example of the risks associated with relying on external support.
His concern was that funding decisions made outside Africa could determine the scope of operations on which African lives and stability depend.
The African Union Commission has also called for sustainable financing for the Somalia mission, increased member-state contributions and faster operationalisation of the AU Peace Fund.
Agreements must produce results
Presenting the State of Peace and Security in Africa Report, Mahama challenged leaders to match continental commitments with implementation.
He cited Agenda 2063, the African Peace and Security Architecture and the “Silencing the Guns” initiative, saying the continent already had frameworks for addressing its challenges.
“Our problem is not the ink on the paper; it is the courage of our execution,” he said.
He urged the AU and regional institutions to identify failures to honour agreements and hold member states accountable. Governments, he added, should implement protocols, support free movement and strengthen governance beyond their capitals.
Resource wealth and insecurity
Mahama also argued that military responses alone could not resolve Africa’s conflicts. Leaders needed to examine who controls natural resources, who profits from extraction and how communities are excluded from the benefits.
He pointed to Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region in discussing the relationship between insecurity, economic interests and weak governance.
His broader appeal was for African countries to exercise greater control over strategic assets and negotiate agreements that translate resource wealth into better living conditions.
GNA’s account of his forum address similarly highlighted his call for domestic processing, industrial capacity and economic opportunities for young people as foundations for lasting peace.
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