Tana Forum Authentic African Space for Candid Reflection, Strategic Foresight: President Mahama

Addis Ababa, October 24, 2026 (ENA) — Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa is an authentic and epitomized African platform for candid reflection, strategic foresight, and sovereign solutions, Ghana's President and Tana Forum Board Chairman John Dramani Mahama said.

Speaking at the opening of the forum in Bahir Dar today, the Chairman emphasized the personal and institutional significance of the gathering as it returned to its traditional home along the shores of Lake Tana—the source of the Blue Nile.

Tana Forum is an authentic and epitomized African space for candid reflection, strategic foresight, and sovereign solutions, he added.

According to him, the Tana Forum has offered a unique platform to debate the continental peace, governance and security imperatives away from rigid diplomatic formalities for over a decade.

Recalling the forum’s founding vision, President Mahama likened the gathering to an ancient African village meeting under a baobab tree, offering an informal, candid space for leaders to address shared challenges away from rigid diplomatic formalities.

"Returning to where it all began reconnects us with this forum's founding vision. It recaptures the flavor of an African village gathering under the ancient baobab tree, where communities reflect on issues that affect them," he noted.

Highlighting the intrinsic link between stability and economic independence, he stressed that sustainable peace cannot rely on conditional aid or structural dependency. 

President Mahama pointed out the need for processing raw materials locally, strengthening domestic industrial capacity, ensuring food and energy sovereignty, and fully operationalizing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In light of heightened global rivalries, competition for strategic critical minerals, and supply chain disruptions, the Ghanian president urged Africa to assert its agency, warning against allowing the continent to become an arena for external contestation.

He also emphasized the need to align with partners across Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean to demand equitable reforms in global governance. 

Crucially, President Mahama said Africa must take ownership of its security, including self-funding peace operations through the AU Peace Fund and curbing illicit financial flows.

He encouraged participants to engage in the two-day event with intellectual courage, honesty, and humility, calling for actionable steps to bridge the gap between policy formulation and transformative implementation.

"Let us sit together under the baobab tree, reflect together, and resolve together to secure an Africa that is prosperous, self-reliant, peaceful, and sovereign."

Convened under the theme "Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation", the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on security in Africa has united voices from across the continent to define Africa’s future by bringing together leaders, policymakers, and experts to address critical security and governance challenges amidst rapidly shifting global dynamics.