By Joseph Momoh D.S
BAHIR DAR, Ethiopia — Former President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, has called on African leaders to take full ownership of the continent’s peace and development agenda, warning that Africa cannot claim sovereignty while it fails to fund itself and protect its own resources.
Koroma made the call while participating in the 12th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, currently underway from October 23 to 25, 2026, in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
The high-level forum brought together sitting presidents, former heads of state and senior policymakers to deliberate on Africa’s security challenges, economic independence and its place in an increasingly competitive global order.
This year’s forum is held under the theme: “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation.”
Former President Koroma featured as a panelist in a high-level session titled “From the Margins to the Centre: Building an African Model for Peace and Sovereignty in an Age of Geopolitical Rivalry.”
He shared the panel with Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, Mozambique’s President Daniel Francisco Chapo, Kenya’s Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki, and Uganda’s Minister of Defence, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, who represented President Yoweri Museveni.
In his intervention, Koroma said Africa’s inability to translate its vast natural resource wealth into prosperity for its people is a reflection of leadership failure, weak institutions and poor resource management.
He questioned the political will of African governments to confront these challenges, stressing that accountable leadership and strong, functional institutions are prerequisites for progress.
“We cannot be sovereign when we cannot fund ourselves. We cannot be sovereign when we cannot protect our minerals,” Koroma told the forum.
He argued that true sovereignty must be demonstrated through the capacity to finance national development, safeguard mineral resources and ensure local processing of raw materials to create jobs and retain value on the continent.
The former Sierra Leonean leader also drew a direct link between democratic governance and durable peace, calling for free and fair elections, robust anti-corruption mechanisms and transparent systems for managing national wealth.
He further called for stronger regional cooperation and a more effective and responsive African Union capable of addressing common security threats and shielding member states from external pressures.
Koroma warned that ongoing conflicts in countries such as Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are robbing young Africans of education, employment and the opportunity to contribute to national development, with consequences that could affect an entire generation.
His position resonated with interventions by other leaders at the forum.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who chairs the Tana Forum Board, urged African countries to reduce economic dependency through industrialization, food and energy sovereignty.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed emphasized economic independence, homegrown solutions and the need for peace agreements to be backed by accountable leadership that delivers real improvements in citizens’ lives.
On his part, Uganda’s Defence Minister, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, called for increased local processing of Africa’s natural resources and the strengthening of regional markets.
Koroma cautioned that high-level continental dialogues must not end as talk-shops, urging African institutions to institute mechanisms for monitoring governance and ensuring that commitments are translated into measurable results.
Contact: Daily Scope Newspaper – dailyscopemedia@gmail.com
