Throughout his life, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim has served the African continent, the international community and his home country Tanzania, with distinction. A dedicated pan-African, he remains a champion for a free, united, prosperous and peaceful Africa.

Salim has worked with international organisations such as the United Nations, was secretary general of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) for an unprecedented 12 years and served as patron and then president of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Advisory Council until 2014.

His far-reaching contribution to the continent is the subject of a recently-launched book Salim Ahmed Salim: Son of Africa edited by Dr Jakkie Cilliers, Chairperson of the ISS Board of Trustees and head of African Futures and Innovation at the ISS. ‘It’s about time that Africans write inspiring stories about fellow Africans’, says Cilliers. ‘And this is only the beginning of Salim’s story’.

It's about time that Africans write inspiring stories about fellow Africans

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Salim’s long association with the ISS has provided the organisation with strategic guidance and insight into a variety of issues including small arms and light weapons, terrorism, early warning and the link between good governance and development in Africa. Under Salim’s tenure at the OAU, the ISS was involved in drafting various policies of the African Peace and Security Architecture that contributed to the establishment of an ISS office in Addis Ababa. His leadership helped the Institute stay at the cutting edge of developments on the continent.

Speaking at the book launch, Joseph Butiku, Executive Director of the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation said, ‘I wish to thank and commend Dr Cilliers and those who worked with him to capture the extraordinary life or Dr Salim’.

Salim’s story, which spans seven decades, is one of tenacity, compassion and perseverance and a source of inspiration for current and future generations. The book includes a foreword by current Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and chapters by the AU, the ISS, ACCORD, Humanitarian Dialogue Centre and the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation. Copies of the book were presented to each delegation at the recent 26th AU Summit and the full text is available on the ISS website.

Credit link:  https://www.issafrica.org/iss-spotlight/paying-tribute-to-a-true-african-visionary\

The article was first published by The Institute for Security Studies (http://www.issafrica.org) and is republished with permission  granted to www.oasesnews.com