Nigeria Calls for Self-Reliant African Peace Architecture.
By Owolola Adebola
Nigeria has called for a stronger, better-funded and self-reliant African peace architecture to address growing threats, including terrorism, transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call at the opening of a two-day consultative forum on strengthening the functional performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in Abuja.
She expressed concern that armed groups were increasingly exploiting emerging technologies and proceeds from organised crime to finance their activities, urging African countries to take greater responsibility for tackling the continent’s challenges.
The Minister called for stronger continental early-warning systems, African-led mediation and the African Peer Review Mechanism. She also stressed intelligence-sharing, sustainable national peace infrastructures and action to address local grievances and youth unemployment.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu advocated greater investment in rehabilitation and reintegration programmes and urged African countries to leverage the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to coordinate efforts against terrorism.
On financing, she emphasised the need for predictable funding for AU-led peace operations, complemented by international commitments, including support from the United Nations.
She further called for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 and the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force and regional standby forces.
The forum focuses on four priorities: mediation and preventive diplomacy, early warning and response, counter-terrorism, and peace support operations.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed optimism that the meeting would produce practical recommendations to improve continental coordination, strengthen African institutions and enhance the continent’s capacity to prevent conflicts and sustain peace.
