“Turn peace pledges into action” – Mahama to African leaders

President John Dramani Mahama has called upon African governments and regional institutions to transition from merely promising peace to taking concrete action. He lamented that despite having established various frameworks like the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the African Peace and Security Architecture, and the Silencing the Guns initiative, the continent has struggled to convert these into tangible results.

Delivering a report titled "The 2026 Tana State of Peace and Security in Africa" in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Mahama identified the primary hurdle not as a lack of policies, but rather insufficient implementation. He urged the African Union and regional economic communities to evaluate adherence to their commitments, pinpoint implementation gaps, and impose accountability measures on member states.

Mahama also encouraged governments to allocate resources towards their security initiatives, ratify protocols promoting free movement of individuals and goods, and bolster governance in border areas. Additionally, he appealed to African businesses to focus on domestic value addition, curb illicit capital outflows, and generate employment opportunities for the youthful population.

He also urged civil society organizations to monitor government pledges and analyze their impact on regular citizens. He maintained that international allies could provide assistance, but should do so while fostering self-reliance in Africa, rather than perpetuating dependency. Mahama concluded that achieving enduring peace involved ensuring security, economic equity, and public trust.