Bahir Dar Hosts the 12th Edition of Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa
Prime Minister Abiy Inaugurates Megech Irrigation Dam in Gondor
NEWS IN BRIEF
Ethiopia
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed participated in the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, where he held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on cooperation in nuclear energy, health, and trade. On the sidelines of the summit, the Russian translation of his book, Medemer, was launched, while Ethiopia also received the first batch of 12 Su-35 fighter jets.
Bahir Dar hosted African Heads of State and Government, former leaders, ministers, delegates from regional and international organizations, and peace and security experts for the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, building on its legacy of hosting the previous 11 editions. Held from October 23 to 25, the forum took place under the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation,” emphasizing the need for sustainable peace through African ownership, economic sovereignty, and practical action. (See article)
Prime Minister Abiy, accompanied by First Lady Zinash Tayachew and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, on Friday (October 23), officially inaugurated the Megech Irrigation Dam Project in Gondar, Amhara Regional State. Initiated 18 years ago, the project experienced prolonged delays before being revived three years ago and brought to completion. (See article)
State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Hadera Abera, met with Georgy Borisenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, on Monday (October 26). He also participated in a meeting of African Foreign Ministers hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday (October 28), on the sidelines of the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit, to discuss political dialogue and cooperation on peace, security, and sustainable development.
Ambassador Hadera Abera also signed three bilateral agreements with Russia on Thursday (October 29) on the sidelines of the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. The agreements cover the renovation of Dejazmach Balcha Hospital in Addis Ababa and media cooperation through memoranda of understanding between the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) and Russia’s ITAR-TASS and Russia Today (RT).
Ethiopia on Thursday (October 29) endorsed Lana Nusseibeh’s candidacy for UN Secretary-General, welcoming her candidacy and citing her distinguished service, strong commitment to multilateralism, and extensive diplomatic experience.
The United Nations Day was commemorated on Monday (October 26), during which Ambassador Yoseph Kassaye, Director General for International Organizations Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. He also underscored the importance of collective resolve in strengthening the United Nations and advancing its mission for present and future generations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ethiopian National Defense College, held a briefing on Ethiopia’s foreign policy for students of the College on Thursday (October 29). The briefing highlighted the country’s foreign policy priorities and diplomatic engagements at regional, continental, and global levels.
Kenya
President William Ruto attended the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday (October 28), where he joined fellow African leaders in discussions on Russia-Africa cooperation.
Somalia
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at State House in Entebbe on Monday (October 26), where the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and cooperation.
South Sudan
President Salva Kiir participated in the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, where he joined other African leaders.
Sudan
Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, participated in the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Thursday (October 29), leading Sudan’s delegation to the summit.
Africa and the African Union
African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf participated in the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday (October 28), where he was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin and signed the Russia–African Union Commission Plan of Action for 2027–2029 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, outlining areas of cooperation between the two sides.
Bahir Dar Hosts the 12th Edition of Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa
Bahir Dar hosted African Heads of State and Government, former leaders, ministers, delegates from regional and international organizations, and peace and security experts for the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, building on its legacy of hosting the previous 11 editions. Held from October 23 to 25, the forum took place under the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation,” emphasizing the need for sustainable peace through African ownership, economic sovereignty, and practical action.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that Africa’s problems must be addressed with African-led solutions, urging countries to bridge gaps and leverage their combined resources, capabilities, and diplomatic influence on the global stage. Drawing on the success of Medemer, he stressed that unity and cooperation across the continent are key to sustainable, long-term peace, security, and economic prosperity.
He called for strengthening Africa’s voice in shaping the rules that determine its future, and for Africa to move from being a passive observer to an influential, active actor in the global political and economic architecture, including as a leader in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Achieving peace, he added, requires more than agreements; it demands a genuine commitment from all parties to uphold them, along with stronger African institutions and greater capacity to withstand external economic pressures. In this regard, he pointed out that the Tana Forum serves as a strategic platform for developing collective responses to shared challenges and for strengthening Africa’s agency in shaping global decisions that affect its peace, security, and development.
Turning to the forum’s economic theme, the Prime Minister highlighted Africa’s potential as the epicenter of future prosperity and underscored that full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is essential to unify a market of over 1.3 billion people. He pointed to Ethiopia’s home-grown economic reforms and national milestones, including the Green Legacy initiative and the successful completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as proof of what synergy and domestic resource mobilization can achieve.
Chair of the Tana Forum Board and President of Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama, described the gathering as an “authentic, uninhibited African space for candid reflection, strategic foresight and sovereign solutions.” Amid changing global dynamics, geopolitical tensions, and the race for critical minerals, he emphasized that Africa must not act as a passive bystander or a battleground for outside powers. Highlighting Ghana’s experience, he pointed to the vital need for domestic industrialization, along with food and energy security, priorities that echo wider African initiatives to take charge of funding local peace efforts. Economic sovereignty, in this framing, is Africa’s strongest defense for maintaining peace and security.
President Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, Chairperson of the African Union, stressed the need to leverage early-warning systems to proactively implement practical conflict-prevention measures, saying, “An early warning that is not followed by early action is merely an observation.” Echoing President Mahama, he described domestic industrialization, food security, and energy independence as a non-negotiable foundation for sustainable peace and security, and strongly urged African countries to chart their own destiny instead of serving as a comfort venue for external geopolitical contestation.
President Daniel Francisco Chapo of Mozambique, speaking during the high-level panel “From the Margins to the Centre: Building an African Model for Peace and Sovereignty in an Era of Shifting Geopolitics,” argued that ongoing shifts in global geopolitics make it a must for African countries to work together. Drawing on Mozambique’s own experience, combating insurgency and terrorism in regions like Cabo Delgado, he emphasized that security and economic development are deeply intertwined. He called for stronger regional integration and unity to navigate shifting global architectures, and urged African countries to resist becoming passive suppliers in the global supply chain and to focus instead on value addition, domestic industrialization, and self-reliance.
Beyond sharing their own perspectives, the high-level participants hailed the Tana Forum as a platform for open and candid discussion of the continent’s pressing peace and security challenges. Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn highlighted that the forum is intentionally designed to bypass restrictive diplomatic language and political posturing, saying, “What distinguishes the Tana Forum from other well-known platforms is that it is a platform that allows people to speak their minds and express what they truly feel.”
Tana Forum’s Special Envoys’ Dialogue
The forum was preceded, a day earlier, by the Tana Forum’s Special Envoys’ Dialogue on the regional security of the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. It brought together Guang Cong, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to the Horn of Africa; Pekka Haavisto, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to Sudan; Ambassador Heiko Nitzschke, Special Envoy of Germany to the Horn of Africa; Ambassador Jean-Marie Safa, Special Envoy of France to the Horn of Africa and Sudan; and Getachew Reda, Advisor to the Ethiopian Prime Minister. Their deliberations drew on perspectives from inside and outside the region to chart solutions to its multilayered challenges.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Redwan Hussien, Director General of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service, pointed out that the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region have undergone a series of geopolitical transformations with far-reaching implications for countries in the region. Given these heightened transformations, he noted that Red Sea security governance cannot be safeguarded solely by a few littoral states. He called instead for collective action and emphasized that regional actors such as Ethiopia, which views access to the sea as an existential matter, should play a decisive role in ensuring the peace and security of the maritime route and the region.
The envoys then assessed contemporary developments and concluded that security has deteriorated at an alarming rate over the past year, deepening the interconnection of the complex security terrains across the Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa. They emphasized that growing security concerns in these strategic corridors have drawn international attention, underscoring the urgency of a holistic regional approach. Guang Cong noted that the United Nations recognizes the leading role of IGAD and the AU in finding regional solutions to regional challenges and supports regionally led peace and diplomatic processes. The other envoys endorsed efforts to consolidate regional approaches to the region’s most intricate problems. They also suggested that regional and continental institutions should play an important role in ensuring secure and reliable maritime corridors serving the immediate interests of both littoral and non-littoral states. Noting that international law grants all landlocked countries the right of access to the sea, Guang Cong emphasized that the UN must support the inclusive approach for the governance of the Red Sea maritime security.
The discussion then turned to the Horn’s current juncture. Developments in the region have brought it to a critical crossroads, with certain security dynamics pointing to a series of instabilities. Yet its strategic importance is growing, and it is home to some of Africa’s fastest economies. Heiko Nitzschke underscored the importance of compromise in ensuring good neighborliness and highlighted the responsibility of anchor and large states in building a regional identity that allows the region to move forward while addressing its major predicaments.
Getachew Reda highlighted the challenges the TPLF and the Eritrean regime posed to implementing the Pretoria Agreement for Lasting Peace through a permanent Cessation of Hostilities. He said the government retains the discretion and the duty to continue implementing the agreement’s remaining provisions. He also noted that the region’s conflicts are interconnected, with spillover effects evident among neighbors, so that no state can contain its insecurity within its own borders. He underscored the role international institutions could play in resolving conflicts such as the one in Sudan. Ambassador Jean Marie Safa also stressed the importance of resolving conflicts and ending fragmentation within a state and in the region through dialogue and established mechanisms, observing international law and utilizing the capacity of multilateral institutions.
The envoys expressed concern over the civil war in Sudan and its spillover effects on neighboring countries, and warned of the danger of the main warring parties insisting on outright battlefield victory. Pekka Haavisto highlighted the role of the Quintet in seeking political solutions through confidence-building measures and the consolidation of an inclusive civilian bloc, in coordination with the Quad peace initiative.
The envoys closed with key policy recommendations for the coming year. They urged the warring parties in Sudan to prioritize dialogue and called on the international community to rally behind the Quintet mechanism and strengthen IGAD to help the Sudanese people achieve lasting peace. They also stressed the need for collective actions and frameworks for the governance of Red Sea security and regional geopolitical dynamics, along with the urgency of easing interstate tensions and promoting good-neighborliness among states in the region.
The Tana High-Level Forum’s Contribution to the Peace and Security of Africa
The Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa is a unique platform for coordination, facilitating candid dialogue, agenda-setting, and informal consultation that can inform subsequent formal policy decisions. In an era of geopolitical contestation and growing interdependence of security threats across domains, informal yet influential platforms such as the Tana Forum play an important role in shaping policy and informing strategies for Africa’s pressing security challenges. Over its 12 editions, the forum has fostered an ecosystem for inclusive dialogue among governments, African security stakeholders, and scholars.
The forum privileges bilateral encounters among Heads of State as well as representatives of international and regional organizations. By gathering so many high-level officials in one place, it achieves what formal institutions often struggle to match. Evidence abounds in this regard. Among the most worth recalling is the engagement between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on the margins of the 10th Tana Forum, where they laid an important foundation for mutual understanding on the GERD and other bilateral issues.
Unlike formal conferences, which often conclude with binding resolutions and explicit commitments, the Tana Forum remains a consultative rather than a decision-making platform. The promises and common understandings reached here often catalyze practical action more readily than binding commitments made in formal settings. The forum also serves as an incubator for policy design and, at times, for innovative new policy alternatives. By promoting homegrown African approaches, it strengthens Africa’s voice in shaping decisions that affect its peace and security. In line with the objectives of the African Union, it advances the principle of African solutions to African problems, fostering African ownership, collective responsibility, and collaborative action in pursuit of lasting peace.
The convening of the 12th forum reflects this commitment. Heads of State, former leaders, and ministers explored pathways toward Africa’s economic sovereignty while identifying policy options to navigate the continent’s evolving geopolitical landscape. As leaders share experiences and exchange perspectives, they identify practical actions that other African countries can adapt and apply according to their own priorities. Given the forum’s strategic importance, its continued evolution into a Pan-African platform for addressing regional issues would further strengthen its contribution to identifying collective solutions to the continent’s peace and security challenges.
Prime Minister Abiy Inaugurates Megech Irrigation Dam in Gondor
Prime Minister Abiy, accompanied by First Lady Zinash Tayachew and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, on Friday (October 23), officially inaugurated the Megech Irrigation Dam Project in Gondar, Amhara Regional State. Initiated 18 years ago, the project experienced prolonged delays before being revived three years ago and brought to completion.
With a reservoir capacity of 185 million cubic metres, the dam is designed to irrigate more than 17,000 hectares of farmland, benefiting tens of thousands of farmers. By reducing dependence on rainfall, the project is expected to support agricultural production and food security. It is also intended to provide drinking water to Gondar and surrounding towns.
Beyond its agricultural and water supply functions, the project is expected to create opportunities for tourism and local economic development. During the inauguration, Prime Minister Abiy outlined plans to develop lakeside tourism and hospitality facilities, drawing on the experience of the Gorgora development project. He also highlighted the potential of the reservoir for fisheries and urban agriculture, with the aim of creating employment opportunities, particularly for young people.
The Prime Minister further emphasized the importance of positioning Gondar as a destination for longer stays rather than a brief stop on visitors’ itineraries. He expressed his ambition to bring two to four African heads of state to the city each year during the Timket celebrations, giving them an opportunity to experience its historical heritage, including Fasil Ghebbi, and Ethiopia’s contribution to African civilization.
During the visit, Prime Minister Abiy and President Mahama also toured the Gondar Mesob One-Stop Service Center, which provides a unified point for public services. They later visited Fasil Ghebbi, the UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its historic castles and fortifications. The visit underscored the importance of preserving Gondar’s cultural heritage while exploring ways to expand its tourism economy.
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