The Nigerian Armed Forces expects to host chiefs of defense from all 54 African nations at a summit in Abuja in August with the task of developing homegrown solutions to the continent’s security issues.
The invitation list includes Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which broke away from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the beginning of this year to form their own regional group. The military juntas ruling those countries have pledged to work together to combat the terrorist groups that stymied their democratically elected predecessors.
The head of the summit planning group, Air Vice Marshal Precious Amadi, said military cooperation with the Sahel nations is vital despite the political rift caused by the coups and the break with ECOWAS.
“We have no issues with them militarily because a threat to one is a threat to all,” Amadi told a news conference announcing the summit.
Militarily, Nigeria and its Sahelian neighbors continue to work together to address security threats, Amadi said. Organizers describe the conference as a first-of-its-kind gathering. It will include members of Africa’s defense industry and a showcase of African-made weaponry and defense capabilities. Nigeria’s military leaders have been outspoken regarding the need to develop Africa’s defense industry as a way to become less dependent on foreign companies.
On the event’s website, the organizers say the conference presents defense manufacturers with an opportunity to pitch their products to procurement agencies and to help African nations strengthen their defense capabilities.
The conference’s theme is “Combating Contemporary Threats to Regional Peace and Security in Africa: The Role of Strategic Defense Collaborations,” and will cover four main areas: collective strategies for African security issues, collaborative response to peace and security issues; mechanisms for integrating the private sector into defense efforts, and creating a roundtable to help develop homegrown solutions to Africa’s security challenges.
The agenda for the conference includes counterterrorism strategies, cybersecurity and the threat of cyberwarfare, defense procurement strategies, military modernization, peacekeeping, and building partnerships for the future.
Terrorism remains one of the continent’s biggest security issues as groups with ties to the Islamic State or al-Qaida operate in multiple countries, including the Sahel nations, Mozambique and Somalia. Terrorist activities are often tied directly to transnational crimes, such as drug trafficking and wildlife poaching. Maritime security also remains a major issue for Africa’s coastal communities plagued by illegal fishing and piracy.
Chiefs of defense from across Africa except for the Sahelian nations gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, at the end of May for the African Chiefs of Defense Conference hosted by the Kenyan Defense Force and U.S. Africa Command. The conference included sessions on countries’ experience with terrorism, the future of African militaries, and the changing nature of civil-military relations on the continent. Amadi said the Nigeria-hosted August summit will allow chiefs of defense and their staffs to discuss their shared security issues and the ways in which they can build defense capabilities across the continent.
“In the light of current realities, it has become imperative to seek African solutions to African problems,” Amadi said.
