President John Dramani Mahama has called for the accelerated implementation of the African Union Peace Fund’s resource mobilisation strategy to strengthen the continent’s capacity to prevent and respond to conflicts.

Speaking at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government on Sunday, August 30, President Mahama stressed the need to effectively apply the 0.2% import levy to provide sustainable financing for Africa’s peace and security operations.

He said the continent’s persistent and evolving conflicts required stronger implementation of existing peace and security mechanisms, supported by reliable and predictable funding.

“Early warning must translate into early action, and early action requires resources that are available in a timely and predictable manner,” he said.

President Mahama welcomed progress made towards operationalising the AU Peace Fund and expressed support for its continued capitalisation towards the $1 billion target.

He said adequate funding would be critical to ensuring that the continent’s peace architecture could respond promptly to emerging threats.

He also called for increased mobilisation of resources from African financial institutions, the private sector and other sources within the continent.

According to him, reducing reliance on external financing would strengthen Africa’s ability to take ownership of its peace and security agenda and respond more effectively to conflicts.