Nigeria has called on African countries to take greater responsibility for the continent’s security by strengthening regional security institutions, improving intelligence-sharing and establishing predictable funding for African Union-led peace operations.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call on Thursday at the opening of a two-day Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in Abuja.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the minister’s appeal comes amid growing regional security threats, pressure on multilateralism and weaknesses in existing continental security frameworks.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu raised concerns about the growing threat of terrorism across Africa, noting that armed groups were increasingly deploying new technologies in their operations and financing their activities through transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows.
She urged African states to strengthen the African Union’s Continental Early Warning System, support African-led mediation initiatives and make better use of the African Peer Review Mechanism to address security challenges and prevent conflicts.
The minister also stressed the need to build sustainable national peace infrastructures, improve intelligence-sharing among African countries and address underlying causes of instability, including local grievances and youth unemployment.
She called for greater investment in community resilience and rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for those affected by terrorism and violent extremism.
The foreign affairs minister further encouraged African countries to leverage the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to improve coordination of counterterrorism efforts across the continent.
On the financing of peace operations, Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasised the need to complement the African Union Peace Fund with international funding commitments, including those of the United Nations.
She called for predictable and sustainable financing for African Union-led operations, alongside enhanced peace support operations through the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719.
The resolution provides a framework for the UN Security Council to authorise UN assessed contributions to support African Union-led peace support operations, subject to the applicable conditions and arrangements.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also called for the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force and regional standby forces to strengthen the continent’s capacity to respond to emerging security threats.
The two-day consultative forum is focusing on four priority areas: mediation and preventive diplomacy; early warning and response; counterterrorism; and peace support operations.
Nigeria expects the meeting to produce practical recommendations for improving security coordination, strengthening the financing of peace operations and building the capacity of African institutions to prevent and respond to conflicts.
The minister expressed optimism that the forum would strengthen Africa’s collective ability to address its evolving security challenges and promote sustainable peace across the continent.
The statement was signed by Oluwafemi Adeniyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
