Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, has called for stronger continental cooperation among African countries to combat terrorism, transnational organised crime and emerging security threats.
Matawalle made the call while delivering Nigeria’s address at the 18th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Specialised Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security (STCDSS) and the 21st Ordinary Meeting of African Chiefs of Defence Staff and Heads of Safety and Security in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Addressing defence ministers, Chiefs of Defence Staff, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security and members of the diplomatic corps, the minister said the continent faced increasingly complex and interconnected security challenges that could not be effectively addressed by individual countries acting alone.
He identified terrorism and violent extremism, transnational organised crime, human and arms trafficking, piracy, cyber threats, unconstitutional changes of government and communal conflicts among the major threats confronting Africa.
“These threats are not confined by national borders. Consequently, no single country can effectively address them in isolation,” Matawalle said.
He called for stronger cooperation between the AU, Regional Economic Communities and member states, alongside enhanced intelligence sharing, joint and multinational military operations and sustained commitment to the African Peace and Security Architecture and the African Standby Force.
According to him, experiences from joint operations have demonstrated that coordinated action, intelligence sharing and interoperability among African forces can significantly disrupt terrorist and criminal networks.
Matawalle also warned that technological advances were rapidly transforming the security landscape, with drones, artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities increasingly being exploited for recruitment, radicalisation, financial crimes and other illicit activities.
He urged African countries to invest in technological innovation, research and development, intelligence capabilities and human capital, while ensuring that emerging technologies were used responsibly and in accordance with international law.
The minister stressed, however, that military action alone could not resolve the continent’s security challenges, arguing that governments must also address underlying drivers of insecurity, including poverty, unemployment, weak institutions, limited access to education and social services, climate pressures and inadequate economic opportunities.
“Our approach to security must therefore be comprehensive,” he said, advocating stronger governance, youth empowerment, education, economic development, justice systems and social inclusion alongside military and security responses.
Matawalle reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the principle of “African solutions to African problems”, saying the country would continue to support regional and continental peace operations, counter-terrorism initiatives and capacity-building programmes.
He commended the AU and the STCDSS for their contributions to peace, security and stability on the continent and expressed optimism that deliberations at the meeting would produce practical and sustainable responses to Africa’s evolving security challenges.
The meeting brought together defence ministers, military chiefs and heads of safety and security from AU member states to deliberate on measures to strengthen the continent’s collective response to terrorism, organised crime and other emerging threats.
