Nigeria has called on the African Union (AU) to develop innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms to strengthen the continent’s capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts without excessive reliance on external funding.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call on Saturday in Luanda, Angola, during the 26th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union. The session was convened under the theme, “Strengthening Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.
”Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended the progress made in strengthening the AU Peace Fund, noting that member states had collectively contributed about $350.2 million, representing 87.5 per cent of the original $400 million capitalisation target. She said the Fund’s balance had exceeded $405 million, while approximately $39 million had been disbursed for mediation, preventive diplomacy, peace support operations and other peace and security interventions.
The minister urged AU member states to meet their assessed contributions and, where possible, provide additional voluntary contributions to strengthen the Fund. She described the contributions as more than financial obligations, saying they represent investments in Africa’s collective security and sovereignty.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu warned that unpredictable funding could undermine African led peace operations, particularly in meeting expenses related to personnel, logistics, equipment and other operational requirements. She consequently advocated a gradual shift away from dependence on external assistance towards greater African self-reliance in financing peace and security operations. “External assistance should complement African ownership; it should not substitute for it. African resources should remain the foundation of African peace and security financing,” she said. The minister also called for the progressive capitalisation of the AU Peace Fund towards its $1 billion target, alongside increased mobilisation of resources from African financial institutions, the private sector and strategic partners.
She urged the full implementation of the 0.2 per cent levy under the Kigali Financing Decision and called on the AU Commission to explore additional innovative financing mechanisms capable of generating predictable and sustainable long-term revenue. Among the proposals was the voluntary allocation of strategically located land by member states for development by qualified private-sector companies and African multilateral financial institutions. According to the minister, mutually agreed arrangements could allow the AU to earn annual royalties from such developments while also promoting investment, infrastructure development and stronger partnerships between African institutions and businesses.
She stressed, however, that any new financing mechanisms must be supported by transparency, accountability, sound financial management and effective oversight. “Africa has the institutions, the financial capacity and the political vision to take greater responsibility for its own peace and security. What is required now is the collective political will to translate that capacity into action,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to collective African efforts to promote peace and security, stressing that a stable continent is essential to achieving the objectives of Agenda 2063 and building an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa. She concluded by urging AU member states to take greater ownership of the Peace Fund through sustained financial contributions. “
Let us make the African Union Peace Fund not merely an instrument that we endorse, but an institution that we own, finance and sustain. Let us demonstrate through our contributions that African peace is an African responsibility,” she added.
