Tinubu Seeks Urgent Dialogue To Avert War In Africa

President Bola Tinubu has urged African countries on the verge of armed conflict to de-escalate tensions and return to dialogue to prevent war on the continent.

Tinubu made the call in Nigeria’s National Statement delivered at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Founding Member States’ Summit in Alamein, Egypt.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, who represented the president, delivered the statement at the summit.

The summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, marked the 25th anniversary of NEPAD, which was established by five African founding states.

Tinubu also called for stronger cooperation among the founding states, saying African countries must work together to address the continent’s development and security challenges.

He said the anniversary provided an opportunity to assess NEPAD’s achievements and renew the continent’s commitment to development.

The president said NEPAD’s founding principle that Africa’s development cannot be outsourced remains relevant amid geopolitical tensions, climate change, technology gaps and difficult global financing conditions.

According to him, Africa has strategies such as Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), but needs to implement them for the benefit of its population.

Nigeria proposed five priorities for the founding states, which include accelerating AfCFTA implementation, closing Africa’s infrastructure gap, strengthening development financing, investing in education and skills, and promoting peace, security and good governance.

Tinubu called on African leaders to prevail on fellow sister countries currently on the verge of a shooting war to de-escalate tensions and return to diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of their differences.

The call was an apparent reference to rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Tinubu said terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime and political instability continued to threaten communities and undermine economic progress.

He called for intelligence-sharing, stronger border management, greater investment in socio-economic conditions and the fast-tracking of the operationalisation of the Africa Standby Force.

Nigeria also backed the Summit Declaration and said it was ready to work with other founding states on cooperation in trade, infrastructure, energy, food security, technology, development finance, human capital, peace and security.

Tinubu said the proposed cooperation mechanism would complement the work of AUDA-NEPAD and the African Union.