Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has called on African Union (AU) member states to move beyond conferences and take concrete steps to tackle violent extremism, conflicts and forced migration across the continent.
He said efforts to address Africa’s security challenges would remain incomplete if governments failed to create jobs and economic opportunities for the continent’s growing youth population.
Mr Ablakwa made the call on August 29 during the extraordinary AU summit in Luanda, Angola, convened to strengthen mechanisms for conflict prevention and enable faster responses to violent attacks across Africa.
He urged African leaders to undertake a serious reflection on the continent’s persistent conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism and humanitarian crises.
“The time has come for us to carry out an earnest introspection. The scenes of our continent cannot continue on this tragedy, where we have normalised conflicts, normalised terrorism, violent extremism and normalised humanitarian crisis. We need to take a new path,” he said.
According to the Minister, while the AU has pursued various peace and security frameworks and taken steps to recapitalise the Peace Fund, leaders must also reconsider their approach to addressing the root causes of instability.
“We have pursued all these AU paradigms and protocols and convened meetings to recapitalise the peace fund. But perhaps what we should begin to recapitalise, in all humility, is our heart and our mindset,” he stated.
Mr Ablakwa also linked irregular migration to the lack of economic opportunities available to many young Africans.
Referring to a recent migration tragedy involving Africans attempting to enter Spain, he argued that creating jobs and expanding opportunities could help reduce the desperation driving young people to leave the continent.
“Just last month, over 72,000 of our young people desperately tried to enter Ceuta. 111 of them died,” he said.
He further cited estimates that about 600 million Africans lack access to electricity and noted reports of thousands of young Africans losing their lives while attempting to cross the Mediterranean in search of better opportunities.
The Foreign Minister called for renewed commitment to job creation, industrialisation and genuine decentralisation, alongside more equitable distribution of Africa’s natural wealth.
He urged African countries to ensure that the continent’s resources, including diamonds, gold, bauxite, oil and gas, translate into meaningful opportunities and improved living conditions for its people.
The 26th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union on strengthening mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution in Africa is expected to conclude in Luanda on August 30 with actionable measures aimed at making the continent safer.
Mr Ablakwa described the renewed approach as a necessary new paradigm for Africa and urged AU leaders to commit to concrete action rather than simply adopting resolutions.
By:Rachael Djabakie