Rethinking Security in Africa: Linking Human Security and Sustainable Development Through Agenda 2063

This article examines the African Union's evolving approach to security within the framework of Agenda 2063, highlighting security beyond state protection to incorporate people‐centered dimensions of insecurity. Historically focused on territorial integrity and military defense, African security governance is shaped by interconnected challenges of poverty, inequality, weak governance, environmental degradation, and violent conflict. Using human security as a lens, the study examines how its seven dimensions intersect with the AU's peace and security frameworks, Agenda 2063, and the Sustainable Development Goals. The article analyzes the role of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the Peace and Security Council (PSC), the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS), and the African Standby Force (ASF) in advancing the AU's aspiration for “A Peaceful and Secure Africa.” Using thematic content analysis of AU policy document analysis of conflict, displacement, and institutional data, the study examines the relationship between human security, Agenda 2063, and the SDGs while distinguishing these frameworks and examining their areas of convergence and trade‐offs, particularly in relation to SDG 16. The findings suggest that the AU's people‐centered security framework provides a normative basis for a sustainable approach to addressing Africa's multidimensional security challenges. However, governance deficits, resource constraints, and coordination challenges affect implementation. The article concludes that achieving the security aspirations of Agenda 2063 requires investment in inclusive governance, conflict prevention, institutional capacity, and socio‐economic development and that progress should be assessed not only through reductions in armed violence but also through improvements in the conditions underlying human security.