Diplomats urging stronger African-led strategies, sustained dialogue, local ownership and adequate financing

African diplomats have called for stronger African-led strategies to address the continent’s conflicts and security challenges.

Approached by Pulse of Africa at the Pre-Tana Forum Dialogue in Bahir Dar, the ambassadors emphasized that sustained dialogue, local ownership and adequate financing are essential to achieving lasting peace and development. Ghana’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, McArios Akanbeanab Akanbong, and Burundi’s Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ambassador Willy Nyamitwe, highlighted the importance of platforms that bring together policymakers, diplomats, academics and civil society representatives to develop solutions grounded in Africa’s realities.

Ambassador Akanbong said the Tana Forum provides an important platform for Africa to shape its security agenda, examine the root causes of conflict and formulate strategies to address terrorism, interstate tensions and other threats to stability. The Ghanaian ambassador also said that heavy reliance on external financing could leave Africa vulnerable to outside influence.

While acknowledging the importance of international partnerships, he stressed that such cooperation should reinforce, rather than undermine, African ownership of the continent’s priorities and solutions. Meanwhile, Ambassador Nyamitwe called for sustained efforts to achieve the African Union’s goal of silencing the guns by 2030.

He said continued dialogue was necessary to assess setbacks, bring diverse stakeholders together and identify practical pathways toward peace. Nyamitwe also highlighted the close link between security and economic development, noting that sustainable progress depends on peaceful and stable societies.