President of Republic at the Forum on Peace and Security in Africa: Continental stability depends on Ability to Build Mechanisms for Collective Action and Effective Coordination
His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, expressed his great satisfaction in participating in the 10th Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa. He emphasized that over the years, this forum has evolved into a premier space for reflection, dialogue, and the exchange of views. He noted that it has strengthened the conviction that Africa must—through dialogue, research, and innovation—develop its own solutions to meet its challenges.
In a speech delivered this Monday in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, the President added that the theme of the session—”Africa Facing Challenges of Stability, Integration, and Sovereignty: What Sustainable Solutions?”—poses a fundamental question: how can we overcome these hurdles to achieve our common goal of building a stable, integrated, and sovereign Africa? He underscored that the continent’s stability remains dependent on its ability to build mechanisms for collective action and effective coordination. This, he noted, requires strengthening the role of the African Union and enhancing its legal and security instruments, such as the Early Warning System and the African Standby Force.
Full Text of the Speech
“Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal;
Mr. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone;
Mr. Prime Minister;
Mr. President of the National Assembly;
Heads of National Institutions of Senegal;
Ministers;
Distinguished Guests;
I would first like to extend my sincere thanks to my brother, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of our sister Republic of Senegal, for his kind invitation, as well as for the warm welcome, generous hospitality, and the numerous marks of attention we have received. These gestures reflect both the strength of the fraternal bonds between our two peoples and the legendary warmth of Senegalese Teranga.
I also wish to express my great pleasure in taking part in the Dakar International Forum. Edition after edition, this gathering has established itself as a vital framework for strategic reflection, helping to anchor an essential conviction in our minds: the necessity for Africa to design—through dialogue, research, and innovation—responses tailored to its own challenges.
It is within this dynamic that the theme of this 10th edition is set: ‘Africa Facing Challenges of Stability, Integration, and Sovereignty: What Sustainable Solutions?’ This specific formulation suggests that the central question today is not merely to take stock of the challenges—which are already well documented in their causes and effects—but to identify actionable paths forward.
The question before us is clear: what solutions can be envisioned to overcome these challenges and achieve our common strategic objective of building a stable, integrated, and sovereign Africa?
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Stability refers to the ability of states to preserve their cohesion, balance, and regular functioning despite cyclical social, political, economic, or security disruptions, whether internal or external. Yet, we must acknowledge that this capacity remains fragile in many cases. Social fractures, identity-based tensions, governance deficits, institutional breakdowns, economic vulnerabilities, the effects of climate change, and the expansion of non-state armed groups all place severe strain on the cohesion of our societies and, at times, on the very survival of our states.
Faced with this endemic instability, which undermines any possibility of development, an exclusively security-focused response is insufficient. A more comprehensive approach is required. In this regard, several key pillars are essential:
- Improving political, economic, and social governance;
- Easing political life through dialogue and consensus;
- Strengthening the rule of law;
- Consolidating democratic systems capable of ensuring peaceful transitions of power;
- Ensuring equitable access to decent living conditions to prevent inequality and vulnerability;
- Investing resolutely in our youth through education, training, and employment.
However, beyond national strategies, one fact is clear: the stability of the continent remains dependent on our ability to implement mechanisms for collective action and effective coordination. It is imperative to consolidate continental coordination, particularly through the African Union, by modernizing its legal instruments, strengthening its peace and security architecture, and optimizing systems such as the Continental Early Warning System and the African Standby Force.
Yet, while stability is an indispensable foundation, it cannot be sustainable without a second fundamental pillar: African integration. In a world marked by intensifying interdependencies, no state can, in isolation, meet the challenges of globalization, fragmented value chains, and geopolitical shifts.
For Africa, integration is not an option; it is a necessity. In this regard, the effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a decisive step by promoting intra-African trade and facilitating the movement of goods, services, and people. AfCFTA is a major lever for economic transformation. However, we must recognize that the weakness of intra-African trade is not due solely to tariff barriers; it is also rooted in structural factors such as low levels of industrialization, lack of economic diversification, and the predominance of raw material exports.
Therefore, integration must be accompanied by sustained efforts in industrialization, local processing, economic diversification, and technological innovation.
In parallel, it remains essential to develop structural infrastructure—energy, digital, and transport—and to promote subregional integration initiatives. A prime example is the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), which serves as an exemplary model of concerted and cooperative management of cross-border resources. I salute the leadership of my brother, His Excellency President Diomaye Faye, and his government, led by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, for their commitment to the success of this organization, which stands as a model for all of Africa.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is precisely within these links between integration and transformation that our third major challenge emerges: sovereignty. In its traditional sense—understood as the absolute freedom to decide within one’s own territory without external dependence—sovereignty today is largely a theoretical concept. Modern sovereignty is multifaceted: food sovereignty, energy sovereignty, water sovereignty, economic sovereignty, digital sovereignty, and health sovereignty.
In a world defined by power dynamics and influence, sovereignty can no longer be understood as absolute independence, which is now largely illusory. Instead, it lies in the capacity of our states to manage their dependencies, reduce vulnerabilities, and strengthen resilience. It is measured by our ability to secure strategic resources and exert real influence on international dynamics.
From this perspective, African integration serves as a central lever of sovereignty. By limiting external dependencies and amplifying the continent’s voice on the global stage, integration provides Africa with the means to better defend its interests and contribute more significantly to global governance.
Thus, stability, integration, and sovereignty must not be viewed in isolation. They are three inseparable dimensions of a single historical project for Africa. Only through this synergy can the ambitions of Agenda 2063 be realized: an Africa stable in its institutions, integrated in its economy, and sovereign in its choices.
Convinced that our discussions will enrich these reflections, I would like, in conclusion, to renew my thanks to my brother, His Excellency President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and wish full success to the work of this 10th edition of the Dakar Forum.
I thank you.”