The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has urged African nations to deepen collaboration and embrace modern technology to confront the continent’s worsening security threats.
Matawalle stated this while speaking at the opening of the Africa Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference in Abuja on Monday.
Matawalle, who represented the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, warned that the challenges facing Africa were “serious, complex, transnational, and increasingly asymmetric.”
“Tackling them requires not just resilience but strong continental cooperation. Africa’s security must be driven by Africa’s solutions, leadership, and unity,” he said.
Matawalle highlighted Nigeria’s role in promoting regional peace through peacekeeping, counterterrorism and humanitarian missions, reaffirming the military’s commitment to partnerships that support peace, stability, and democratic values.
He stressed the need for African countries to invest in artificial intelligence, cyberdefence and indigenous military technologies to outsmart terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab, which continue to destabilise parts of the continent.
“The future of warfare is digital. No single country can secure Africa alone, we must share intelligence and build trust among defence institutions,” Matawalle noted.
The minister called on participants to use the summit as a strategic platform for strengthening continental security cooperation and shaping Africa’s leadership in global defence innovations.
