Thabo Mbeki Foundation Rally Leaders at Peace and Security Dialogue to Forge African-led Solutions for Lasting Stability in Africa 

Chiemelie Ezeobi

African leaders, diplomats, and stakeholders recently gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the first-ever annual Peace and Security Dialogue on how to forge African-led solutions for lasting stability in the continent. 

Hosted by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation from October 4 to 6, 2024, with former President Thabo Mbeki and other stakeholders in attendance, the  event tackled Africa’s most pressing challenges under the theme “Towards a Peaceful and Secure Africa: Challenges and Opportunities.” 

 The dialogue opened with a call to action from Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, who passionately urged the crowd to put Africa first, adding that “It’s time to reclaim our future,”. 

 Also speaking, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Chairperson of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation Board of Trustees, voiced the growing discontent with the African Union (AU) and its inability to maintain peace across the continent, noting that its current framework has proven ineffective.

Fraser-Moleketi said the dialogue aims to address these issues, drawing lessons from Africa’s history, including its relinquishment of nuclear weapons. 

She urged attendees to use this dialogue as an opportunity to proactively develop and implement more effective peace mechanisms across the region.

She said: “Gathered amongst us here today is an array of individuals with vast experience on matters of peace and security.

“And I want to suggest committed competence for the development of our continent. We are mindful that we gather here tonight and as we do so, the world is in turmoil.

“It is a continent of potential, of resilience, and of hope. Our people’s strengths lie not only in our rich resources or geographical expanse, but our shared will to build a peaceful and prosperous future for ourselves and generations to come. 

“This is why this dialogue is so profoundly important. It is not a platform of cynicism and hesitancy, but one that seeks to gather Africans while totally committed to the mission of creating a peaceful and prosperous Africa.”

Among the diverse group of participants was Professor Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President of International, Engagement and Service (IES) at King’s College London, who threw down the gauntlet, pointing out the “blind spots” that have stymied progress in securing peace across the continent. 

She said the three main blind spots were uncritical acceptance of external blueprints for responding to African conflicts, the gap between African peace and security norms and their implementation, and flawed leadership approaches at national, continental, and global levels.

Calling for a collective and cohesive response to tackle the deep systemic issues affecting Africans, Professor Olonisakin emphasised the need for unified action to achieve lasting peace and stability on the continent.

“The gap that exists between our intention and action, which is the blind spot, is considerably wide, in addition to which the desire to do the bidding of external power often overrides the common agenda that we set for ourselves in Africa,” she said.

She proposed some solutions for consideration, which included rethinking leadership infrastructure, and reforming AU Commission leadership selection to include public participation and competency testing. She also proposed empowering the African Parliament in appointing AU Commission leaders.

She added that African leaders must take collective responsibility and ownership of the continent’s security and development agenda.

 Amid these urgent calls for action, the stark reality of Africa’s conflicts was brought into focus by South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, General Bantu Holomisa. 

He warned that Africa’s over-reliance on military responses is bleeding resources that should be spent on uplifting its people through education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. 

He said: “The growing focus on militarised conflict resolution rather than diplomacy will undoubtedly strain resources that should be directed towards social security, education, health care and poverty alleviation.

“The resources of African nations should be used to uplift people, not to perpetuate wars. A shift towards empowering institutions for peace and conflict resolution is not only necessary, but urgent, if we are to build a stable and prosperous future for the continent.”

 The next two days of the dialogue were filled with passionate discussions, keynote speeches, and closed-door roundtable talks, all aimed at finding real solutions. 

From conflicts and insecurity to poverty, exclusion, and governance issues, the APSD tackled the continent’s toughest problems head-on, with the shared belief that Africa’s potential is enormous. 

At the end, the goal was to walk away with strategies not just for diagnosing the issues, but for building a peaceful and secure Africa. 

According to the organisers, this gathering was not just another conference, but a call to arms for a new era of African solutions, driven by Africans, for the benefit of future generations in the continent.