The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged Islamic scholars across the region to develop practical strategies to combat violent extremism and terrorism, which continue to threaten peace and development in West Africa.
Speaking at the West African Islamic Conference on Security and Governance held Thursday in Abuja, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, said the subregion must combine both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to defeat the menace of terrorism.
Touray described the conference as a demonstration of ECOWAS’ continued commitment to regional peace and stability, noting that Africa has become the new hub of global terrorism. “In the last decade, terrorism and violent extremism have exerted a huge toll on the socio-economic well-being of our people,” he said. “The Sahel region has seen a dramatic increase in terrorism. Our Regional Action Plan Against Terrorism outlines the roles of both state and non-state actors in tackling this menace.”
The ECOWAS chief emphasized the importance of addressing the conditions that make young people vulnerable to extremist recruitment, especially within traditional Quranic schools such as the Tsangaya in Nigeria and the Daraa in the Sahel. He promised ECOWAS’ support for modernizing Quranic education and praised President Bola Tinubu’s initiative to return out-of-school children to classrooms through the establishment of the National Commission for Almajiri and Arab School Children Education.
Touray said: “We must improve and modernize these schools and convert them into formal centres of learning and economic empowerment. Millions of young people study in these schools but lack adequate support. This neglect makes both teachers and students vulnerable to recruitment by criminal and terrorist groups.”
He reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to working with governments, religious bodies, and the United Nations to modernize Quranic schools and protect students and teachers. “Safeguarding these schools will end the phenomena of street begging, child abuse, and the vulnerability of learners to radicalization,” he added.
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, called on scholars to champion peacebuilding in their communities, urging, “Let us strive to create a region where every individual can live in peace, security, and dignity. This conference is not the end, but the beginning of a new era of cooperation and collaboration in West Africa.”
At the end of the conference, participants adopted several resolutions aimed at promoting sustainable peace and social inclusion. These included:
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Reforming Quranic education to integrate formal learning, vocational skills, and digital literacy.
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Strengthening collaboration among governments, scholars, and security agencies to counter radicalization and promote interfaith dialogue.
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Empowering youth and women’s groups at the grassroots to lead community-based peace initiatives.
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Enhancing teacher training, funding, and policy inclusion to modernize the Almajiri education system.
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Encouraging multi-sectoral partnerships between government, religious institutions, and civil society to tackle inequality, restore trust, and build resilience against extremist recruitment.
Participants also commended Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal for adopting policies to address the challenges in traditional Islamic education and acknowledged that terrorism targets all faiths indiscriminately. They urged Muslims and Christians to deepen cooperation and mutual understanding to prevent extremists from exploiting religious differences.
