Lasting peace in Africa requires economic sovereignty - Prez. Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has called on African countries to strengthen economic sovereignty and reduce dependence on external support, arguing that lasting peace and security on the continent depend on economic justice and self-reliance.

Addressing the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia on Friday, October 23, Presdent Mahama said Africa could no longer remain a passive participant in a changing global order shaped by geopolitical rivalries, competition for critical minerals, volatile supply chains and rapid technological disruption.

He said the continent must take ownership of its peace, security and development priorities rather than allow itself to become an arena for competing external interests.

“If peace is our ultimate destination, our diverse experiences, institutional innovations, and collective demographic strength offer multiple pathways to reach it. Yet we must be clear-eyed: durable security requires economic justice, and lasting peace requires economic sovereignty,” he said.

Speaking on the forum’s theme, “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation,” Mahama said Africa’s diverse experiences, institutional innovations and demographic strength offered multiple approaches to addressing its security challenges.

He linked the call to his Accra Reset vision, which seeks to move African economies away from structural dependency, unsustainable debt and unfair international financial arrangements.

According to him, African countries must process their raw materials locally, expand domestic industrial capacity, strengthen food and energy security, and turn the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) into an effective driver of shared prosperity.

"This reality underpins the vision I have championed as the Accra Reset, a conscious, systemic shift away from the legacy of structural dependency, unsustainable debt traps, and unfair international financial architectures. Peace in Africa cannot survive on borrowed stability or conditional aid," he stated.

He warned that peace would remain fragile if young people continued to face economic exclusion, describing economic sovereignty as a critical buffer against insecurity.

Mahama also called for stronger cooperation among African countries and the wider Global South, including partners in Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean, to push for reforms to multilateral institutions and global governance.

However, he stressed that Africa’s primary focus must be on building its own capacity to address its challenges.

“The time has passed for external actors to underwrite our peace, security, and development agendas,” he said.

He urged African countries to take greater responsibility for financing peace operations through mechanisms such as the African Union Peace Fund, tackling illicit financial flows and building technological resilience.

President Mahama called on participants at the two-day forum to focus on translating policy proposals into practical action, urging them to work towards a peaceful, prosperous, self-reliant and sovereign Africa.

The Tana High-Level Forum brings together stakeholders to discuss peace, governance and security challenges facing the continent.