President John Dramani Mahama has urged African leaders to speed up efforts to strengthen the financial base of the African Union Peace Fund, saying the continent needs dependable resources to respond effectively to conflicts.
The President made the call at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Luanda, Angola, on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
According to President Mahama, Africa already has structures designed to prevent and manage conflicts, but their effectiveness depends largely on proper implementation, coordination and adequate funding. He stressed that identifying threats early would have little impact if governments lacked the resources required to act promptly.
President Mahama therefore supported efforts to build the AU Peace Fund towards its US$1 billion target. He also called for the faster implementation of the Fund’s resource mobilization strategy, including the effective use of the 0.2 per cent import levy and increased contributions from African financial institutions, businesses and other local sources.
He further argued that Africa should take greater responsibility for financing its own peace and security programmes instead of depending heavily on outside support. He said predictable funding would enable the continent to respond more quickly to emerging security threats while strengthening African ownership of peace initiatives.
President Mahama also welcomed the framework under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719, which provides a mechanism for financing African Union-led peace support operations through UN assessed contributions. He called for the framework to be fully implemented while maintaining the principles of African ownership, accountability and shared responsibility.
Source: GhanaNsem
