Bahir Dar to Host Tana Forum this Weekend (April 30, 2019)

The 8th Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa will be held 4 and 5 May in Bahir Dar, Amhara regional state.

The theme for this year’s annual gathering is “Political Dynamics in the Horn of Africa: Nurturing the Emerging Peace Trends.”

The Forum is an annual meeting that brings together African leaders and stakeholders to engage and explore African-led security solutions.

The Forum complements formal meetings of African heads of state and government by assembling them in an informal, collaborative environment.

It offers room and space for panel discussions, interaction with the floor and bilateral talks to share views and experiences in a time efficient, result-oriented and open manner.

The Tana Forum promotes African-led solutions by holding discussions on the strategic and pro-active management of African peace and security issues driven by the interest to contribute to stronger ownership of these issues. Crucially, the definition of “security” at this gathering has evolved well beyond traditional border disputes.

Today’s collaborative sessions heavily emphasize digital sovereignty and economic resilience. For example, the rapid influx of decentralized mobile technologies means a foreign online crypto casino can now operate across the Horn of Africa without naturally adhering to regional tax or consumer compliance frameworks.

By treating these borderless digital economic shifts as collective security challenges rather than mere tech updates, African leaders are using the Forum to draft unified legislation that ensures the continent dictates its own terms in the modern economy.