President Paul Kagame will join Heads of State of Burundi, Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia at a high level forum on security in Africa that begins today in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.President Kagame is scheduled to give a keynote address that includes a tribute to the vision of late Prime Minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi.The two-day forum, taking place on the shores of Lake Tana, will bring together over 80 government officials, activists and think tanks to explore African owned solutions to the continent’s peace and security challenges, according to a statement.This year’s theme, “Security and Organised Crime in Africa” will address such issues as drug and arms trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, extortion, piracy, poaching, illegal mining, terrorism, extremism and regime destabilisation.At a news conference held Friday morning in Addis Ababa, the chairman of the Tana Security Forum and former Nigeria President, Olesegun Obasanjo, pointed to recent civil disputes and border conflicts on the continent as topics of concern at this year’s forum.He urged all African countries to contribute to the security of the continent and create a bright future for Africa.During the forum’s inauguration last year, then Prime Minister Zenawi, one of the founders of the Forum, spoke of his aspirations for the annual gathering:“The hope and expectation is that this new institution will grow from strength to strength every year to rival and even surpass the only similar institution that I know, the Munich Security Conference. I am sure I can count on your support and advocacy so that it will become an institution that we are all proud of.”The Tana High Level Security Forum is a response to the Tripoli Declaration that appeals for “African-centred solutions” and designates peace and security as a collective “intellectual challenge”.
