Introduction

The Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University (AAU), is a prominent Institute for higher education, research and policy dialogues on peace and security in Africa. Established in 2007, it ranks among the top 46 educational establishments and think tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa according to the 2020 Global Go to Think Tank Index Reports. IPSS was also selected as the Centre of Excellence for Post-Conflict Societies by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) in 2017. Additionally, IPSS runs the Africa Peace and Security Programme (APSP), a joint initiative with the African Union, which is mandated by the African Union’s Executive Council to take up the intellectual challenge of finding African-led solutions to peace and security challenges in Africa.

IPSS serves as the Secretariat of the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, which has been held annually since 2012. The Forum brings together prominent individuals, heads of state and government, policymakers, and other experts for an informal gathering to discuss African peace, security, and development matters. This year’s Tana Forum is scheduled for 23 – 25 October 2026 on the theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation”.

The Tana Forum Secretariat holds existing Youth, Peace and Security frameworks in high esteem and continues to explore initiatives to ensure YPS mainstreaming across its work on the continent. Additionally, we prioritise offering a platform for young African voices to be heard through the Tana Forum. The Secretariat firmly believes that it is only through the concerted efforts of all sections of African society that we may truly provide answers to questions of peace and security on the continent. Thus, the inclusion of youth in peace and security discourse is sacrosanct.

For this reason, IPSS, as the Tana Forum Secretariat, hosts the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa Annual University Essay Competition. It is a platform for young Africans to contribute to Africa’s peace and Security discourse and engage with prominent stakeholders in the field, on paper through their winning essays and in person through their attendance at the Tana Forum.

The Secretariat therefore announces its call for submissions to this annual competition.

The competition is open to African nationals enrolled in higher education institutions based in Africa and in the diaspora.

Our Expectation of your Essay

The award-winning essays are expected to cover any of the following sub-themes as a means to contribute to the broad theme “Pathways to Peace in Africa: Economic Sovereignty and Geopolitical Transformation”. The sub-themes are:

• Sub-Theme 1: Resource Sovereignty and Strategic Resource Governance for Industrial Development
• Sub-Theme 2: Digital Transformation and Inclusion
• Sub-Theme 3: African Institutions and Capabilities
• Sub-Theme 4: Regional Integration, Informality, and Illicit Economies

Guidelines

• Applicant must be between the ages of 15 and 35, in accordance with the definition of youth in the African Youth Charter.
• The contribution and references or bibliography shall not exceed 8 pages.
• The contribution shall contain the following sections: Title, Key Words (a maximum of 7), Executive Summary, Key Points (a maximum of 5, not exceeding 3 concise sentences), Background/Introduction, Main Body (which may comprise multiple sections), Conclusion, Policy and/or Strategic Recommendations, and References.
• It shall be well-referenced, using the APA 7th Edition Referencing Style. References must include at least four books and 6 academic periodicals. Other sources may be accessed online, provided they are cited correctly. Any submissions lacking these will be disqualified.
• The essay must be the original work of the applicant. Essays on topics outside the scope of the sub-themes indicated earlier will be rejected.
• Submissions that are plagiarised or developed using Artificial Intelligence will be disqualified.
• Essays may be written in English or French.
• Any essay that uses crowdsourced and publicly editable sources, such as Wikipedia, will be disqualified.
• Essays must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format. Essays submitted in any other format will not be considered.
• The format shall adhere to the following specifications:
• • Font Type: Book Antiqua
  • Font Size: 11”
  • Line-Spacing: 1.5 Line Spacing
  • Layout: Before (0pt); After (14pt)

Selection Process

Applicants must be African students enrolled at any recognised, accredited university in Africa or in the diaspora, pursuing either a BA/B.Sc., MA/M.Sc., M.Phil., or PhD in a relevant field.

Students are expected to submit their essay of no more than 8 pages to the IPSS Research and Policy Analysis Unit [research@ipss-addis.org]. If shortlisted, the essays will be reviewed, and the students who submitted them will participate in a virtual interview to defend their submissions before the winners are announced. Three winners will be announced, alphabetically.

The students must reckon that the submission is directed at policy- and decision-makers. The language, argumentation, and structure of the essay must therefore demonstrate relevance to policy and decision-makers.

Benefits

The Secretariat will invite authors of these three winning essays to attend the Forum as fully sponsored participants. They will also address participants at the Forum. Prior to the event, the authors will receive mentorship from experts at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS).

Submission Instructions


Email your essay (not exceeding 7,000 words, including referencing) and a CV (not exceeding 3 pages), using the subject line: [Tana Forum 2021 Essay Competition_Full Name]. The CV must clearly indicate name, university, degree title (BA, MA or PhD), country of origin, and contact information.

The deadline for submission is 31 July 2026

Young African women are encouraged to make submissions.

Essays that do not follow the instructions and guidelines of this call will be automatically disqualified.