Abuja, Nigeria — August 26, 2025
Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has urged African nations to strengthen continental cooperation in tackling evolving security threats, including terrorism, maritime insecurity, and cyberattacks.
Speaking at the opening of the first African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit (ADCSS) in Abuja, Matawalle described the challenges as “complex, transnational, and increasingly asymmetric,” stressing that no single country can secure the continent alone.
“Africa’s security challenges must be driven by African solutions, African leadership, and African unity,” he said. “We must work together, sharing intelligence, learning doctrine, and building trust among defence institutions. The future of warfare is digital, fast-moving, and unpredictable.”
The summit, themed “Combating Contemporary Threats to Regional Peace and Security in Africa: The Role of Strategic Defence Collaboration,” brought together defence chiefs and security leaders from across the continent. Matawalle urged investment in cyber defence, artificial intelligence, and indigenous military technologies as part of preparing African militaries for modern warfare.
President Bola Tinubu, who also addressed the gathering, called for the institutionalisation of the forum to ensure sustained collaboration against terrorism, piracy, and cyber threats.
While the opening session highlighted Africa’s resolve to confront emerging challenges, delegates did not announce specific funding commitments or joint programmes, leaving observers to await concrete outcomes from the deliberations in Abuja.