Mahama calls for urgent action to strengthen $1bn AU Peace Fund

President John Dramani Mahama has called for the accelerated implementation of the African Union (AU) Peace Fund’s resource mobilisation strategy to secure sustainable financing for peace and security interventions across the continent.

Speaking at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government on Sunday, August 30, President Mahama said Africa’s persistent and increasingly complex conflicts required stronger implementation of existing peace and security mechanisms.

He specifically called for the effective application of the 0.2% import levy and other measures aimed at ensuring the Peace Fund has adequate and predictable resources to respond to emerging conflicts.

According to him, the success of Africa’s peace and security architecture depends not only on effective coordination among institutions but also on the availability of resources to facilitate timely interventions.

“Early warning must translate into early action, and early action requires resources that are available in a timely and predictable manner,” he said.

President Mahama welcomed progress made in operationalising the AU Peace Fund and expressed support for continued efforts to capitalise it towards its $1 billion target.

He also urged the AU to intensify efforts to mobilise resources from African financial institutions, the private sector and other domestic sources.

Such measures, he said, would help reduce the continent’s reliance on external funding while strengthening Africa’s capacity to independently prevent and respond to conflicts.

The President stressed the need for African countries to demonstrate greater commitment to financing the continent’s own peace and security priorities to ensure that interventions are timely, sustainable and responsive to emerging threats.