Kenyan President William Ruto, who also serves as the African Union (AU) Champion of Institutional Reforms, has revealed that Africa spends an estimated $18 billion each year to combat security challenges and ongoing conflicts.

Speaking at the AU Retreat on Institutional Reforms, President Ruto highlighted the alarming rise in terrorism-related incidents, reporting that between April and June 2024 alone, the continent recorded 1,000 such attacks, resulting in 4,818 deaths.

He described the situation as a deepening humanitarian crisis, with conflict, terrorism, and political instability severely disrupting communities and livelihoods.

“Africa today is home to 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, and a million stateless people,” Ruto stated.

“This is an existential moment for our continent.

The African Union, in its current structure, is incapable of addressing these complex security dynamics, and there is an urgent need for immediate reforms.”

He called for proactive measures to tackle the root causes of insecurity, emphasizing that conflict continues to deprive Africa of its full potential.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, also voiced concerns over the AU’s reliance on external funding, stressing that such dependence undermines the organization’s ability to set its own agenda and independently drive the continent’s development priorities.