President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on African leaders to prevail on Ethiopia and Eritrea to de-escalate rising tensions and embrace diplomacy to prevent a possible armed conflict between the two countries.
Tinubu made the appeal in Nigeria’s national statement delivered by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, at the NEPAD Founding Member States’ Summit in Alamein, Egypt.
The summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, marked the 25th anniversary of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The President stressed that peace and security remain fundamental to Africa’s economic prosperity, warning that terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime and political instability continue to threaten communities and undermine development across the continent.
He urged African countries to strengthen intelligence-sharing, improve border management, invest in addressing the socio-economic conditions that fuel insecurity, and accelerate the operationalisation of the Africa Standby Force.
Tinubu’s appeal came amid rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with Nigeria advocating dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes between the two African nations.
Beyond the security concerns, the President called for stronger cooperation among NEPAD’s founding member states, stressing that Africa must take greater responsibility for its development in the face of geopolitical tensions, climate change, technological gaps and difficult global financing conditions.
He noted that the founding principle of NEPAD—that Africa’s development cannot be outsourced—remains relevant, urging African leaders to translate existing continental strategies into tangible benefits for their citizens.
According to him, frameworks such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) provide important foundations for development, but their effective implementation must now become a collective priority.
The President identified five strategic priorities for African countries: accelerating continental economic integration through the full implementation of AfCFTA; bridging the infrastructure gap through cross-border projects and strategic corridors; strengthening development financing and mobilising African capital; investing in education, science, technology and vocational training; and promoting peace, security and good governance.
He emphasised that these priorities must particularly benefit Africa’s growing youth population and women, who remain central to the continent’s development prospects.
Tinubu also expressed Nigeria’s appreciation to Egypt for hosting the summit and commended the Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), Nardos Bekele-Thomas, for her leadership and achievements under the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.
Nigeria, he said, welcomed the summit’s declaration and reaffirmed its readiness to work with other founding member states to establish a structured cooperation mechanism covering trade, infrastructure, energy, food security, technology, development finance, human capital development, peace and security.
The proposed mechanism, according to the President, would complement the work of AUDA-NEPAD and the African Union in advancing Africa’s development agenda.
He maintained that stronger regional cooperation, effective implementation of continental policies and sustained commitment to peace would be essential to achieving shared prosperity across Africa.
