Addis Ababa: The 12th edition of the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, one of the continent’s pioneering high-level platforms on peace and security, started Friday in Bahir Dar, the capital of Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
This year’s forum, held under the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation,” runs from Oct. 23 to 25, 2026.
Ahead of the official opening, several side meetings and a special envoy dialogue were held in Bahir Dar. Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, along with former African heads of state, ambassadors and senior federal officials, held discussions on the current situation in the Horn of Africa.
Current heads of state, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who also chairs the Tana High-Level Forum, are expected to attend the event.
Over the past 12 years, the annual forum has provided a platform for discussions on regional, continental and global issues. The forum was initiated during the tenure of the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and has been organized by the Institute for Peace and Security Studies at Addis Ababa University.
