By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria has called on the African Union (AU) to adopt innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms to strengthen the continent’s capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts while reducing its dependence on external funding.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call on Saturday at the 26th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union in Luanda, Angola.
The session was convened under the theme, “Strengthening Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended efforts to strengthen the AU Peace Fund, noting that member states had collectively contributed about $350.2 million, representing 87.5 per cent of the original $400 million capitalization target.
She added that the Fund’s balance had exceeded $405 million, while about $39 million had been disbursed for mediation, preventive diplomacy, peace support operations and other interventions.
The minister urged AU member states to fulfil their assessed contributions and make additional voluntary contributions where possible, describing such contributions as investments in collective security and sovereignty.
“We therefore call on all Member States to honour their assessed contributions and make additional voluntary contributions where possible, viewing these not merely as obligations but as investments in our collective security and sovereignty,” she said.
She stressed that African-led peace operations required predictable and reliable financing to meet personnel, logistics, equipment and other operational needs, warning that uncertain funding could undermine their effectiveness.
According to her, the AU must progressively shift from dependence on external assistance towards greater African self-reliance, while recognising the continued importance of international partners.
“External assistance should complement African ownership; it should not substitute for it. African resources should remain the foundation of African peace and security financing,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also advocated the progressive capitalisation of the AU Peace Fund towards its $1 billion target and called for stronger resource mobilization from African financial institutions, the private sector and strategic partners.
She further urged the full implementation of the 0.2 per cent levy under the Kigali Financing Decision, alongside the exploration of innovative financing mechanisms capable of generating predictable, long-term revenue for the AU.
One of the proposals she presented was for member states to voluntarily provide strategically located land for development by capable private-sector entities and African multilateral financial institutions.
She said mutually agreed arrangements could generate annual royalties for the AU while promoting investment, infrastructure development and stronger African partnerships.
The minister, however, emphasized that such financing mechanisms must be supported by transparency, accountability, sound financial management and effective oversight.
“Africa has the institutions, the financial capacity and the political vision to take greater responsibility for its own peace and security. What is required now is the collective political will to translate that capacity into action,” she said.
She reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to supporting collective African efforts, stressing that peace and security remained essential to achieving the objectives of Agenda 2063 and building an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent.
“Let us make the African Union Peace Fund not merely an instrument that we endorse, but an institution that we own, finance and sustain. Let us demonstrate through our contributions that African peace is an African responsibility,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated.
