Africa must finance its own peace and security initiatives instead of relying on external powers to determine the continent's future, President John Dramani Mahama has said.

Presenting the 2026 State of Peace and Security in Africa Report at the Tana Forum on the shores of Lake Tana in Ethiopia on Saturday, President Mahama cited Somalia as an example of the continent's dependence on external funding.

He said the transition from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) required about US$150 million annually, while the African Union Peace Fund could barely raise US$20 million, leaving the remainder to be sourced externally.

"When decisions are taken in Washington or European capitals to cut funding for peacekeeping support missions, the fate of the Horn of Africa is decided in rooms where Africans do not even have a vote. That is not an African solution to African problems. That is external dependency, disguised in an African beret. We must fund our own peace outcomes," he declared.

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The report, covering the 18-month period from January 2025 to June 2026, examines the continent's security challenges through four lenses. Read More.