NIGERIA CALLS FOR STRONGER, SELF-RELIANT AFRICAN PEACE AND SECURITY ARCHITECTURE
By Pan Afric Reporters
Nigeria has called for a stronger, self-reliant African peace and security architecture, urging African countries to take greater responsibility for tackling terrorism, transnational organised crime, illicit financial flows and other emerging security threats across the continent.
The call was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, during the opening ceremony of the Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in Abuja on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
In a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and signed by its spokesperson, Oluwafemi Adeniyi, the minister said growing regional security threats, pressure on multilateralism and gaps in continental security frameworks made it imperative for Africa to strengthen its collective response to conflicts and insecurity.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed concern over the increasing spread of terrorism across Africa, noting that armed groups were adopting new technologies to support 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, mediation initiatives and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to improve conflict prevention, intelligence gathering and coordinated responses to emerging threats.
The minister also emphasised the need to establish sustainable national peace infrastructures, improve intelligence-sharing among African countries and address the underlying causes of insecurity, including local grievances, youth unemployment and weak community resilience.
She called for increased investment in rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for former combatants and encouraged African countries to leverage the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to coordinate continental efforts against terrorism.
Nigeria Seeks Predictable Funding for Peace Operations
On the financing of peace and security initiatives, Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed the importance of complementarity between the African Union Peace Fund and international funding commitments, including those of the United Nations.
She called for institutionalised and predictable financing for AU-led peace operations, alongside stronger implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719.
The resolution provides a framework for the UN Security Council to authorise African Union-led peace support operations and for the UN to provide assessed contributions to support eligible operations, subject to the established requirements.
The minister also advocated the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force and regional standby forces to strengthen Africa’s capacity to respond promptly to crises and security emergencies.
She expressed optimism that the two-day consultative forum would produce practical and implementable recommendations to enhance the continent’s collective ability to prevent conflicts, respond to emerging threats and promote sustainable peace.
Forum Targets Four Strategic Priorities
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the forum is focused on four priority areas: mediation and preventive diplomacy; early warning and response; counter-terrorism; and peace support operations.
The meeting is expected to develop recommendations for improving security coordination across Africa, strengthening the financing of peace initiatives and enhancing the capacity of African institutions to respond effectively to the continent’s security challenges.
Nigeria’s position underscores the need for stronger continental ownership of peace and security initiatives, supported by effective institutions, sustainable funding and cooperation among African states and international partners.
