Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, has said the Africa–Nordic Cooperation Forum remains an important platform for tackling Africa’s challenges through joint international efforts.
Speaking at the 22nd Session of the Africa–Nordic Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Minister Kombo said global conflicts, including those in Africa, often arise from border disputes, competition for resources, youth unemployment, ethnic divisions, and weak conflict-prevention systems.
He said international dialogue platforms help nations find common ground and share solutions for peace and stability.
The minister noted that sustainable security in Africa depends more on preventing conflicts than on reacting to them after they occur.
Minister Kombo also said technology and innovation are essential for building peaceful and sustainable societies.
He urged African countries to address youth unemployment, calling young people the continent’s greatest asset for development.
He added that governments must invest in policies and programmes that create jobs, develop creative skills, and expand access to technology so that young people can contribute effectively to economic growth and peacebuilding.
Zimbabwe’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira, closed the session.
He said discussions focused on science, technology, and innovation, with an emphasis on strengthening youth participation in policymaking and promoting youth-led innovations.
Professor Murwira said priority areas identified by the meeting included clean energy, employment, infrastructure, climate-resilient agriculture, and sustainable mining.
He noted that the forum’s goal is to align policies, encourage joint investment, and shift Africa–Nordic cooperation from aid dependency to a trade and investment-based partnership.
He also highlighted the importance of improving railway infrastructure and creating a coordination mechanism to ensure that resolutions adopted during the forum are implemented effectively.
