African leaders, UN officials to attend counter-terrorism summit in Abuja

Several African leaders will attend a high-level counter-terrorism summit in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

The summit is organised by the federal government with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).

The meeting, which will see the leaders discuss regional cooperation in addressing terrorism, is expected to take place from Monday to Tuesday.

“The objective of the summit is to enhance multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation and reshape the international community’s collective response to terrorism in Africa, while emphasizing the importance of African-led and African-owned solutions,” Ngelale said.

“The summit will provide a platform to review the nature and severity of the threat of terrorism on the continent, with a view to agreeing on concrete strategic priorities and measures to address this scourge. It will also foster deeper regional collaboration, enhancing the institutional capacity of member states and facilitating the exchange of best practices and knowledge to combat the multifaceted threat of terrorism in Africa.

“Heads of state and government and high-level government officials across Africa, representatives of international organizations and multilateral institutions, members of the diplomatic corps, and members of civil society groups are expected to attend the summit.”

According to a draft agenda seen by TheCable, discussions at the summit will address key issues that lead to the spread of terrorism in the continent.

Sessions will also explore successful strategies for countering terrorism while identifying actionable recommendations and coordination mechanisms to enhance regional capacities in improving security.

President Bola Tinubu is expected to declare the conference open while Vladimir Voronkov, under-secretary-general, UNOCT; and Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser, will deliver remarks.

Foreign dignitaries expected include President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana; President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo; President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic; Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, president, transition and head of State, Republic of Chad; Mohamed Bilal, prime minister, Mauritania; Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general, United Nations (UN); and Moussa Mahamat, chairperson, African Union (AU) commission.