After a two-year hiatus, the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa has reconvened in the city of Bahir Dar, northern Ethiopia, bringing together a wide range of government officials, former leaders, experts, and representatives of regional and international organizations under the theme “Africa in a Changing Global Order.”
Established in 2012, the Tana Forum serves as a continental platform for dialogue among policymakers, aimed at developing African-led solutions to the continent’s security and development challenges.
The first day’s sessions focused on the role of artificial intelligence in modern conflicts. Participants discussed the ethical and humanitarian dimensions of using drones and digital surveillance systems, emphasizing the need for legal frameworks to prevent abuses. The sessions also addressed reforming African Union institutions and strengthening their financial independence, as well as tackling stability issues in the Horn of Africa and transnational challenges such as terrorism, displacement, and climate change.
On the second day, which took place in the capital Addis Ababa, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf called for moving from rhetoric to practical implementation, stressing that African unity and political will are essential to overcoming the continent’s crises — from conflicts and poverty to climate change.
The forum also featured a symbolic session honoring the late Mozambican president Samora Machel for his contributions to African liberation and unity, alongside a high-level discussion on African ownership and agency in an unstable world. Prominent figures such as Joyce Banda and Joaquim Chissano participated, emphasizing the need for the continent to reclaim leadership in matters of security and development.
The forum concludes with a set of recommendations to the African Union and decision-makers on ways to strengthen peace and development, reaffirming its role as an intellectual platform that unites African leaders and experts to build shared visions and sustainable local solutions to the continent’s crises.