President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stressed the need for collective action and cooperation among African nations to effectively combat terrorism, cybercrime, transnational crime and other forms of insecurity on the continent.
He implored the continent’s defence chiefs to come up with a fresh doctrine of continental defence built on trust, shared intelligence and coordinated strategy.
The Nigerian leader, who stated this on Monday when he declared open the maiden edition of the African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit 2025 in Abuja, said there must be a framework for African defence institutions to “speak with one voice and act with one purpose”.
President Tinubu, who was represented at the summit by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the extreme scale of threats across Africa has made it a must for nations to pause and reflect.
The president drew the attention of the defence chiefs to a stark reality about Africa, saying the continent is bound as a family, interwoven not just by borders but destiny
President Tinubu noted that the geographical configuration of the continent has made its nations more than kith and kin.
President Tinubu also called for establishment of a permanent African Chiefs of Defence Staff Forum, a platform he said would avail the military chiefs the opportunity to keep dialoguing, strategizing, and coordinating their operations.
Earlier in his remarks, Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar who was represented by Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawale, said the summit hosted by Nigeria was historic and a bold statement of collective commitment of African nations towards ensuring a safer continent.
Earlier, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, Amina Mohammed, noted that the gathering marked the birth of a new era in African security cooperation, necessitating a united approach to tackle emerging threats- just as the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, charged fellow chiefs of defence staff and heads of the armed forces of allied countries to lead the charge in organizing forces and investing in cyber defence, artificial intelligence, and indigenous military technology, explaining that without the aforementioned, it would be difficult to achieve security.
The high-level event was graced by military authorities within Nigeria and across Africa, including Nigerian legislators and foreign diplomats.
