The 10th edition of the International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa opened on Monday April 20 at the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf in Diamniadio, setting the stage for high-level dialogue aimed at forging sustainable solutions to Africa’s challenges of stability, integration and sovereignty.
The opening ceremony was jointly presided over by Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, alongside his counterparts Julius Maada Bio and Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
Addressing participants, President Faye called for a collective rethinking of Africa’s security architecture, urging deeper solidarity to break the cycle of instability and reposition the continent as a space defined by peace, integration, sovereignty and prosperity.
“The diagnosis is clear. If nothing is done, Africa risks failing to harness its vast potential,” he cautioned, stressing the need for decisive, homegrown responses to entrenched security and development challenges.
In a firm assertion of strategic autonomy, the Senegalese leader emphasised that Africa must no longer allow its security agenda to be shaped externally. “We must not accept that our priorities are dictated by foreign interests or that our strategic space is occupied without consent,” he stated, advocating for a more assertive African role in the evolving global order.
Echoing this sentiment, President Bio—current chair of the ECOWAS—underscored the need for equitable partnerships. “Africa wants partners, not guardians,” he declared, urging the continent to pursue forward-looking policies that secure a better future for the next generation.
President Ghazouani, for his part, highlighted the imperative of collective action, calling for stronger coordination mechanisms, resource-sharing frameworks and enhanced cooperation among African states to consolidate stability.
He further argued that security responses must extend beyond military measures, pointing to economic vulnerabilities, social tensions, climate change impacts and the proliferation of non-state armed groups as interconnected drivers of instability.
Returning after a two-year hiatus, the Dakar Forum continues to serve as a strategic convening platform, bringing together policymakers, experts and researchers to generate actionable recommendations tailored to Africa’s evolving security landscape.