The Tana Forum on Security in Africa was launched in 2012 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, with the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo serving as its first Chairperson until the current Chairperson, President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama, took over the role in 2018. The handover has rightly been called “a demonstration of how governance begins within our institutions.”
In marking the 10th anniversary of the Tana Forum on Security in Africa’s establishment, I conducted a review of its performance over the past ten years. The review traces the journey of the Tana Forum on Security in Africa from its conceptualisation, as articulated by the former Director of the Institute for Peace and Security (IPSS) at the University of Addis Ababa, Dr. Mulugeta Gebrehiwot, until its 10th anniversary in 2022. It included discussions with experts, policymakers, and political leaders who participated in the Tana Forum on Security in Africa, focusing on its conceptualisation, operations, leadership, and achievements. The review publications are “Reflections On The 10 Years of the Tana Forum on Security in Africa” and a coffee table book titled “Tana at Ten: A Celebration!”.
In the ten years, the Tana Forum on Security in Africa has explored and made recommendations for implementation on the following topics:
- Managing diversity and state fragility: 2012. One of the key recommendations was to reassess Africa’s policies concerning “fragile states” and to align them with the unique African context. It emphasised that peacebuilding efforts should prioritise negotiating inclusive agreements among the elite rather than focusing solely on institutions, which take a long time to establish. Additionally, there was a call to include the private sector in the process of building inclusive partnerships. The Forum recommended the regulation of political competition at the national level to ensure that available resources are directed towards enhancing post-conflict stability and fostering economic growth.
- Security and organised crime in Africa: 2013. The Forum recommended the establishment of vocational training programmes as an effective way to ensure that young people are productively engaged. Additionally, promoting diversity management and inclusion within the economy can help deter citizens from engaging in criminal activities. To combat organised crime, strong leadership in Africa—comprising both the youth and the elderly—is essential. No single generation can tackle this issue on its own. In addressing drug trafficking, Africa should assess the extent of the problem based on its own interests and realities, rather than relying on external definitions imposed by outside entities.
- Impact of illicit financial flows on peace and security in Africa: 2014. The Forum emphasised that the lack of transparency in jurisdictions that support illicit financial flows (IFF)-facilitating industries needs to be addressed. Central to the fight against IFF is the establishment of inclusive democratic developmental states. African governments must prioritise tackling tax evasion by multinational corporations.
Central to the fight against IFF is the establishment of inclusive democratic developmental states. African governments must prioritise tackling tax evasion by multinational corporations.
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- Secularisation and politicised faith: 2015. The Forum recommended the design and implementation of mechanisms for the early detection of religious beliefs, tenets, and practices that could pose dangers to both state and citizen security. African leadership should recognise the existence of diversity and develop strategies to manage it. This can be achieved through multi-stakeholder engagement aimed at fostering nation-building and promoting coexistence among diverse groups.
- Africa in the global security agenda: 2016. The Forum urged all governments to prioritise human security by ensuring well-being, expanding access to subsidised socio-economic opportunities, and placing citizen security over that of regime security.
- Natural resource governance in Africa: 2017. The Forum emphasised the importance of transparency and the need to reduce corruption among elites. It urged governments to enhance their capabilities in contract negotiations to ensure that local communities benefit from agreements. Additionally, the Forum called for improved coordination at the multilateral level to ensure fair management of Africa’s natural resources and to foster collaboration among African nations regarding land and water management across the continent. It was also recommended to utilise environmental diplomacy to address issues related to land and forestry. This approach aims to prevent conflicts and promote inclusive participation from youth, women, and other community representatives.
- Ownership of Africa’s peace and security provisions: Financing and reforming the African Union: 2018. One of the key recommendations was that Africa must take charge of its own destiny by shaping the narrative, setting the agenda, and securing funding for its peace and security initiatives, rooted in a common understanding of self-reliance. It is essential for Africans to fully understand the complex nature of both existing and emerging peace and security challenges and to develop the capacities needed to confront them effectively.
- Political dynamics in the Horn of Africa: Nurturing the emerging peace trends: 2019. One of the key recommendations was that countries in the Horn of Africa should collaboratively identify fundamental challenges in the region, such as structural vulnerabilities, and take ownership of solutions based on the principle of multilateralism.
- The AFCFTA: Revitalising Pan-Africanism for sustainable peace and development in Africa: 2020. One of the key recommendations was that the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) should serve as an opportunity to address human security issues by prioritising women and youth. It is essential to tackle the ongoing political, social, and economic obstacles that prevent marginalised groups from participating in society, as these barriers hinder peace, stability, and development.
- Managing security threats, building resilience for the Africa We Want: 2022. One of the key recommendations was that the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war should serve as a wake-up call for Africa to innovate and develop its agriculture sector to ensure food security.
Over the next decade, implementing the Tana Forum’s recommendations must take priority. The global geopolitical, economic, financial, and social landscape is changing in ways that Africa is yet unprepared. The once-praised principles of African solutions to African problems have been discarded as external power brokers take over what should be Africans’ responsibility in “making peace happen” on the continent. The inward-focused peace-making unity that characterised the Tana Forum on Security in Africa at its launch is now broken as African leaders look outward for short-term solutions, ignoring the pan-Africanist approach and solidarity handed down by the founders of the Organisation for African Unity in 1963. Ten years after its launch and two years of silence, there is a need to reboot the Tana Forum on Security in Africa. It should remain a strong platform for Africa to lead in addressing the continent’s peace and security issues in partnership with the rest of the world. Overall, the implementation of all of the Forum’s recommendations over the next ten years will be essential to advancing peace, security, stability, and sustainable development in Africa.
The inward-focused peace-making unity that characterised the Tana Forum on Security in Africa at its launch is now broken as African leaders look outward for short-term solutions, ignoring the pan-Africanist approach and solidarity handed down by the founders of the Organisation for African Unity in 1963
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Dr. Hesphina Rukato is a Pan-African development practitioner and academic with experience in environment and climate change, development, governance, and peace and security.
The Tana review publications can be accessed here
