Ethiopia Hosts Pre-Tana Dialogue, Calls for African-Led Solutions to Peace, Security Challenges
A Pre-Tana Forum Dialogue has been held in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, with participants emphasising the importance of African-led solutions, diplomacy and dialogue in addressing the continent’s peace and security challenges.
The dialogue, held under the theme “Navigating a Changing World: The Role of Diplomacy and Dialogue in Advancing Peace and Security in Africa,” brought together diplomats, scholars and other stakeholders to examine evolving global and regional dynamics.
Delivering opening remarks on behalf of Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister, Gedion Timothewos, the Chief of Staff, Adam Tesfaye, highlighted the need for dialogue amid rapid geopolitical changes, growing global fragmentation and uncertainty.
Tesfaye said navigating the changing international landscape required African countries to champion their own solutions, strengthen African agency and rely on sustainable instruments such as diplomacy, dialogue and mutual trust.
He also stressed the connection between economic sovereignty, development, peace and security, noting that lasting stability depended on building economic resilience through regional integration, industrialisation and trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Ethiopian official further underscored the importance of platforms such as the Tana Forum in promoting strategic dialogue, building trust, fostering a shared understanding and advancing coordinated, African-led approaches to security challenges.
Reaffirming Ethiopia’s longstanding commitment to collective security and peaceful coexistence, Tesfaye maintained that dialogue remained essential to achieving lasting peace and stability across the continent.
Participants at the meeting examined changing global and regional security dynamics, explored the role of preventive diplomacy and inclusive dialogue, and discussed how platforms such as the Tana Forum could contribute to practical approaches to peace and security in Africa.
The Pre-Tana Forum Dialogue precedes the 12th edition of the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, scheduled to take place from October 23 to 25, 2026, in Bahir Dar.
The forthcoming forum will focus on the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation,” highlighting the relationship between economic independence, geopolitical change and sustainable peace on the continent.
Ethiopia Hosts Pre-Tana Dialogue, Calls for African-Led Solutions to Peace, Security Challenges