By Favour Ulebor
The Federal Government has urged African Union (AU) member states to increase funding for the AU Peace Fund to strengthen peace operations and the continent’s capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts.
In a statement on Saturday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call at the 26th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union in Luanda, Angola, convened on the theme, “Strengthening Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said African-led peace operations required predictable and reliable financing for personnel, logistics, equipment and other operational needs, warning that uncertain funding could undermine their effectiveness.
The minister said member states had collectively contributed about $350.2 million, representing 87.5 per cent of the original $400 million capitalisation target, while the Peace Fund’s balance had exceeded $405 million.
She added that about $39 million had been disbursed for mediation, preventive diplomacy, peace support operations and other interventions.
The minister urged the AU to progressively move from dependence on external assistance towards greater African self-reliance in financing peace and security.
She said, “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.
“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 progressive capitalisation of the Peace Fund towards its $1 billion target, alongside stronger resource mobilisation from African financial institutions, the private sector and strategic partners.
She called for full implementation of the 0.2 per cent levy under the Kigali Financing Decision and urged the AU Commission to explore innovative financing mechanisms capable of providing predictable long-term revenue.
Among the proposals was the voluntary provision of strategically located land by member states for development by capable private-sector entities and African multilateral financial institutions, with mutually agreed arrangements potentially generating annual royalties for the AU.
She stressed that such financing mechanisms must be anchored on transparency, accountability, sound financial management and effective oversight.
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