President John Dramani Mahama has charged African leaders to move from words to action in financing the continent’s peace and security architecture.
He says the time for endless talk is over and commitments must now be backed by clear action and sustainable funding.
Speaking at the 21st Extraordinary Session of Heads of State of the African Union in Luanda, Angola, on Sunday, August 30, 2026, President Mahama said: “As we consider the decisions, action plan, and implementation matrix arising from this summit, Ghana encourages us to ensure that our commitments are supported by clear responsibilities, timelines, measurable indicators, and importantly, credible and sustainable financing arrangements.”
He stressed the need for the continent’s leadership to prioritise action after years of deliberation on the matter. “We have spoken on this topic for too long, and it is time for us to move from words to action,” he stressed.
President Mahama also endorsed the Luanda Action Plan, its implementation matrix and the African Union Trigger Model for early warning and early action.
He said conflict prevention must be integrated into Africa’s broader development agenda and that early warning systems must not only identify imminent threats but also help detect and address the underlying grievances that fuel conflicts.
This reemphasises the call for a new financing architecture that is predictable enough for planning, flexible enough to respond to emerging crises, and sustainable enough to reduce excessive dependence on external resources.
According to him, the Accra Reset, Ghana’s Global South initiative for strengthening sovereign capacity, holds important lessons beyond health.
“The Accra Reset carries many important nuggets for self-financing, not only related to healthcare, but also for peace and safety,” he said.
He maintained that Africa’s peace efforts cannot rely on isolated national efforts or unpredictable external funding.”To conclude, Ghana remains firmly committed to strengthening an African peace and security architecture that is effective, adequately resourced, and anchored in African ownership,” he said.
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