Ethiopian PM opens 10th Tana Forum

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Saturday opened the 10th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

The three-day forum is taking place on the theme “Managing security threats: building resilience for the Africa we want”.

Attending the Forum are over two hundred and fifty participants from various continents and across the African continent.

Also at the Forum are the President of Sudan General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre of Somali and the Vice President Jessica Rose Epel Alupo of Uganda.

The Tana Forum is an initiative in response to the African Union’s Tripoli Declaration of August 2009 for “African-led solutions” and to peace and security as a collective “intellectual challenge”.

The annual Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa was therefore initiated by the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of the Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The Forum brings African leaders, decision-makers, and stakeholders to engage and explore African-led security solutions.

Former President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama is the Chairperson of the Tana Forum, and in a message to participants said, “our continent, Africa, and the world must address ongoing socioeconomic, political, and security challenges head-on.”

“The African continent is mired by unconstitutional changes of government, intra-state conflict, and terrorism that continue to punctuate our peace and security spheres. Our continent has witnessed six ‘successful’ coups, and two attempted coups in the last two years alone. Authoritarian entrenchment seems almost a hallmark not only in Africa but around the globe”, he added.

The Tana Forum is represented by the baobab tree, and is emblematic of sitting together, talking together, and discussing together.

Since its inception in 2012, the Tana Forum has afforded frank and candid discussions on topical issues of regional and global relevance. It will continue to do so in the years ahead.

This is the tenth anniversary of the Tana Forum.