Former President of Malawi, Dr Joyce Banda, was over the weekend a distinguished guest at this year’s Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa where among other things she graced a book launch ceremony, attended the Meles Zenawi lecture and sat as a panelist in one of the sessions. The forum is an annual event hosted in Ethiopia’s resort city of Bahir Dar.

Tana Forum is a platform for African leaders, key stakeholders and pro-active strategists who gather in an informal setting to discuss Africa’s security challenges and propose lasting solutions for national and regional blocs to implement within respective development frameworks. This year’s forum run under the theme “Natural Resource Governance in Africa.

Dr Banda, who sits on Tana Forum Board, was joined by fellow distinguished citizens including Ethiopia Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo and former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki.

Others were Deputy President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi and Abdiwelli Mohammed Ali, President of Puntland State, Somalia.

The newly-launched book titled ‘Making Africa Work: A Handbook for Economic Success’, has been co-authored by President Obasanjo who is Tana Forum Board chairperson, Dr Greg Mills- Director of the Brenthurst Foundation, Jeffrey Herbst and Dickie Davis.

Commenting on the newly-launched book, Ethiopia Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn concurred with Dr Joyce Banda’s assertions on the book which appear both on the front cover and inside prologue.

Dr Banda wrote, “I wish I had this book when I was President of Malawi. This book not only offers convincing arguments on what to do, but practical examples and steps to how to get things done”.