President John Dramani Mahama has arrived in Luanda, Angola, to participate in the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), which will focus on strengthening conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms across the continent.

The high-level summit, scheduled for Sunday, August 30, is being convened under the leadership of Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, who is also the AU Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa.

A key item on the agenda is the consideration and adoption of a comprehensive Decision, Action Plan and Implementation Matrix on Conflict Prevention and Resolution.

The summit is expected to assess existing continental peace and security frameworks and agree on measures to improve coordination, responsiveness, implementation and financing of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the African Governance Architecture (AGA).

The meeting comes amid persistent security challenges across the continent, including conflicts in Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, instability in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, and the insurgency in northern Mozambique.

President Mahama and other African leaders are expected to deliberate on practical measures to strengthen regional stability and enhance the continent’s collective capacity to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts.

The session forms part of ongoing African Union efforts to strengthen the continent’s home-grown mechanisms for peacebuilding, conflict prevention and sustainable security.