AU Urges Africa to Strengthen Collective Action, Economic Sovereignty Amid Shifting Global Order

Addis Ababa, October 24, 2026 (ENA) — The African Union Commission (AUC) called on African countries to engage with the changing global order with strategic clarity and mutual cooperation, stressing that lasting peace depends on the continent’s ability to shape its own future.

Deputy Chairperson of AUC, Selma Haddadi, made the remarks at the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, which opened in Bahir Dar under the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation.”

 

“In a changing international order, Africa must engage with clarity of purpose and mutual utility,” she said.

The deputy chairperson emphasized  that partnerships should expand Africa’s strategic choices and strengthen its capacity to act independently.

She stressed that the continent must move beyond high-level commitments to deliver tangible results for its people, noting that sustainable peace requires sustained political will and resilient economies capable of addressing the root causes of conflict.

“Africa’s pursuit of peace demands that we confront a fundamental question: How can our continent secure lasting peace while remaining constrained in its ability to transform its wealth, finance its priorities, and influence the decisions that shape its future?” Haddadi asked.

She identified economic sovereignty and resource governance, stronger continental institutions, and practical regional integration as key pillars for advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

In this regard, she underscored the importance of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and advancing the AU Protocol on Free Movement of Persons to transform African borders into gateways for trade, mobility, and shared prosperity.

 

Addressing natural resource governance, Haddadi warned that communities’ exclusion from the benefits of resource extraction, coupled with weak revenue oversight and unfair contractual arrangements, can deepen grievances and fuel instability.

“Where communities bear the cost of extraction while seeing little benefit, grievances deepen. Where revenues escape public oversight or sustain armed groups, wealth becomes a source of insecurity,” she said.

She urged African governments to promote transparent contracts, strengthen public accountability, and expand domestic value addition to ensure that the continent’s natural wealth translates into tangible benefits for its people.

Haddadi also called for stronger protection of informal cross-border traders, emphasizing that their livelihoods should be safeguarded rather than treating cross-border trade solely as a security concern.

Highlighting Africa’s demographic potential, she reaffirmed the African Union’s commitment to expanding youth participation in peace processes, digital innovation, climate action, and economic governance.

She stressed that the continent’s future depends on young people having meaningful opportunities to shape their societies and benefit from economic progress.

 

“Unity, we affirm must become the capacity to act together. Sovereignty must improve the lives of our youth, and the peace we pursue must be sustained by their trust, participation, and shared prosperity,” Haddadi added.

The 12th Tana High-Level Forum brings together African leaders, policymakers, diplomats, researchers, and security experts to explore African-led approaches to peace and security, strengthen continental cooperation, and advance economic sovereignty amid intensifying global geopolitical competition.