Former President of Sierra Leone, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, has joined African presidents and senior government officials at the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, where leaders are discussing pathways to peace, economic sovereignty and Africa’s response to growing geopolitical competition.
The forum, held from 23 to 25 October 2026, brought together African leaders and policymakers to examine how the continent can strengthen its institutions, safeguard its natural resources and build sustainable security systems.
Koroma participated in a high-level panel titled “From the Margins to the Centre: Building an African Model for Peace and Sovereignty in an Age of Geopolitical Rivalry,” alongside Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Mozambique’s President Daniel Francisco Chapo, Kenya’s Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki and Uganda’s Minister of Defence, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, representing President Yoweri Museveni.
During the discussion, Koroma called on African leaders to take greater responsibility for the continent’s governance challenges, arguing that the failure to translate abundant natural resources into widespread prosperity reflects weaknesses in leadership, resource management and institutional capacity.
He questioned whether African governments possessed the political will to address these challenges, stressing that meaningful progress would require accountable leadership and effective institutions.
Koroma also challenged African countries to demonstrate sovereignty through their ability to finance national priorities, protect their mineral resources and process raw materials locally to create jobs and generate greater economic benefits for their citizens.
“We cannot be sovereign when we cannot fund ourselves. We cannot be sovereign when we cannot protect our minerals,” he said.
The former president further linked democratic governance to lasting peace, calling for free and fair elections, stronger anti-corruption measures and improved systems for managing national resources.
He also urged greater regional cooperation and a more effective African Union, noting that countries must work together to address security threats and reduce vulnerabilities that expose them to external pressures.
Highlighting the human cost of conflict, Koroma warned that wars in countries such as Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to deprive young people of education, employment opportunities and the chance to contribute to national development.
He cautioned that the consequences of conflict extend beyond immediate casualties and destruction, potentially affecting an entire generation’s future.
Koroma’s intervention aligned with concerns raised by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, Chairman of the Tana Forum Board, who called for African countries to reduce structural economic dependency through industrialisation, food and energy sovereignty, and greater control over their development priorities.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also emphasised the importance of economic independence, regional cooperation and homegrown solutions, stressing that peace agreements must be supported by accountable leadership and institutions that deliver tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s representative, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, called for greater local processing of Africa’s natural resources and stronger regional markets to ensure that more of the wealth generated from the continent’s resources benefits its people.
Koroma warned against allowing high-level continental meetings to end without concrete outcomes, urging African institutions to monitor governance, assess resource management and ensure that commitments translate into measurable results.
Held under the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation,” the 12th Tana Forum seeks to explore how African countries can strengthen economic independence while building sustainable peace and increasing their influence in a changing global order.
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