Nigeria Hosts Landmark African Chiefs of Defence Summit in Abuja
Nigeria on Monday hosted the inaugural African Chiefs of Defence Summit in Abuja, bringing together top military leaders from across the continent to discuss collaborative strategies for tackling Africa’s most urgent security threats.
The summit officially opened with a keynote address delivered on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In his message, President Tinubu emphasized the critical need for deeper military cooperation across Africa to confront issues such as terrorism, violent extremism, piracy, organized crime, and the growing security risks posed by climate change.
“Security cannot be achieved in isolation. It must be built through shared intelligence, joint training, and coordinated operations. Nigeria is committed to working with our African partners to develop proactive, resilient, and adaptive defence frameworks,” the President stated.
He called on member states to embrace modern warfare technologies, including cyber defence, artificial intelligence, and the development of indigenous military solutions.
Delivering a goodwill message, former Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister and veteran UN diplomat, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, described the summit as both historic and long overdue. He recalled the ambitions of African pioneers like Kwame Nkrumah, who advocated for a unified African High Command in the 1960s. While that vision remains unfulfilled, Gambari emphasized that today’s security realities demand a renewed commitment to African-led defence cooperation.
“Continental security can only be achieved through practical, active collaboration. This includes joint training, shared intelligence, interoperable systems, and robust capacity building,” Gambari said.
He also urged participants to move beyond rhetoric, warning that the summit must not become “just another talk show.” Instead, he called for the adoption of concrete, actionable strategies to “silence the guns” across the continent.
The summit further emphasized the importance of regional bodies such as ECOWAS, the African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture, and the African Standby Force. Discussions also focused on developing a self-sufficient defence industry that is “African in origin, African in design, and African in purpose.”
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, along with his counterparts from other African nations, expressed their collective commitment to harmonizing military doctrines, enhancing interoperability, and building trust to respond effectively to both conventional and emerging threats.
Concluding the opening session, defence leaders reaffirmed their resolve to overcome national differences and strengthen pan-African solidarity in confronting shared security challenges.
“Together, let us stand in defence of Africa. Together, let us secure our future,” President Tinubu’s message concluded.
The summit is expected to culminate in a joint communiqué outlining specific steps for advancing continental defence cooperation.
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