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Lomé Forum Calls for African Approach to Peace and Security

Lomé – Moatinoon
The second edition of the Lomé Forum for Peace and Security concluded in the Togolese capital on 11–12 October 2025, under the theme: “Africa Facing Complex Security Challenges: How to Strengthen and Sustain Peace and Stability in a Changing World?”

The forum brought together leaders, policymakers, and representatives of regional and international organizations, including the Director of the Horn of Africa Center for Studies and Research from Sudan, as well as academics and experts from across the continent.

Participants expressed deep concern over the growing security challenges in Africa, including terrorism, violent extremism, cyber threats, and the impacts of climate change, all of which continue to undermine stability and development across the continent.

The final declaration emphasized the need for a holistic approach to security, one that goes beyond the military dimension to include good governance, socio-economic development, justice, human rights, and environmental protection. It further underscored the importance of African strategic autonomy in defence and security, calling for reduced dependence on foreign technologies and equipment.

The forum urged the United Nations to reform its peacekeeping operations to better address the evolving nature of conflicts in Africa and called on African states to ratify and operationalize the Lomé Charter on Maritime Security, while strengthening regional cooperation and cross-border dialogue.

On the technological front, the participants highlighted the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advancing peace and sustainable development, recommending the creation of an African AI Development Fund and the establishment of common continental policies on data protection and digital ethics to counter online extremism and hate speech.

Special attention was given to the role of youth in building lasting peace, with calls to implement the African Youth Charter and establish national and regional “Peace and Security Committees” involving young people, women, and community leaders. The forum also supported the creation of an “African Youth Fund” to finance youth-led peace initiatives and promote resilience against violent extremism.

Participants praised Togo’s leadership at the African Union, particularly its initiative leading to the historic AU decision adopted in February 2025 recognizing slavery, deportation, and colonization as crimes against humanity and genocide against African peoples.

The forum concluded by thanking President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé and the Government of Togo for their commitment to peace and security in Africa and called for the full implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Lomé Declaration.