Nigeria has called for urgent reforms to strengthen the African Union Peace and Security Architecture, including improved early warning systems, sustainable financing and stronger coordination among continental and regional bodies.
The call was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the opening of the Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in Abuja.
The Minister said “the forum was an important step towards implementing the African Union Assembly’s Decision 967 of February 2026, which requested concrete recommendations on strengthening the continent’s peace and security architecture by January 2027″.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the security situation across Africa as concerning, with terrorism spreading from the Sahel to the coastal states of West Africa, as well as across the Lake Chad Basin, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes and northern Mozambique.
According to her, terrorist groups are increasingly deploying drones, illicit financial networks, organised crime and illegal artisanal mining to expand their operations.
“The context is sobering. Terrorism is spreading from the Sahel towards the coastal States of West Africa, and across the Lake Chad Basin, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes and northern Mozambique,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu acknowledged that Africa’s peace and security architecture had recorded significant achievements but noted that implementation gaps continued to undermine its effectiveness.
“Our early warning is sound, but early action is slow. Our operations are boldly conceived, but their financing is uncertain. Our norms are clear, but their application has been inconsistent,” she said.
She stressed the need for a more resilient, better-resourced and self-reliant continental security framework anchored on African leadership.
“With the international order eroding, we must look inward for a more resilient, better-resourced and self-reliant architecture, anchored on African leadership,” she said.
The Minister identified mediation and preventive diplomacy, early warning and response, counter-terrorism, and peace support operations as four priority areas for the two-day forum.
On early warning and mediation, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said prevention was cheaper, faster and more humane than response after violence has erupted.
“It has always been our view that prevention is cheaper, faster and more humane than any response after violence has erupted,” she noted.
The Minister urged the African Union to provide its Peace and Security Council with timely intelligence and actionable recommendations to enable prompt responses to emerging threats.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also proposed a mediation coordination mechanism to clearly define the responsibilities of the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, Regional Mechanisms and the United Nations.
She called for a vetted roster of African mediators and technical experts who could be deployed within days to address constitutional disputes, power-sharing arrangements, security sector reforms and ceasefire negotiations.
On counter-terrorism, Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed the need to address the underlying causes of violent extremism, including local grievances and youth unemployment.
She warned that weak oversight and poorly defined counter-terrorism laws could undermine public trust and encourage terrorist recruitment, advocating rehabilitation and reintegration as part of a comprehensive response.
The Minister called for stronger intelligence-sharing among African countries and greater use of the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre as the continent’s focal point for coordinating counter-terrorism efforts.
She further warned against excessive dependence on foreign security partners, particularly private military and security companies.
“We must also reduce over-dependence on external partners, including private military and security companies, whose priorities are shifting and whose presence clearly undermine our sovereignty,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
On peace support operations, the Minister expressed concern over declining United Nations peacekeeping and partner funding, which she said had weakened support for African Union-led missions.
“Over-reliance on external funding delays the payment of troop entitlements, weakens morale and makes mission planning uncertain,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union to continue working with the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, to secure urgent implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 of December 2023, which provides a framework for financing AU-led peace support operations through UN-assessed contributions.
She also called for the urgent operationalisation of the African Standby Force and support for regional standby arrangements with the strategic capabilities required for effective deployment.
The Minister emphasised that strengthening Africa’s peace and security architecture would require consistent application of continental norms, clearer coordination among institutions, sustainable financing and greater emphasis on preventing conflicts through improved governance.
“I made these points to underscore our conviction that strengthening performance requires closing the gap between early warning and early action; applying continental norms consistently; clarifying the division of labour between the AU, RECs and RMs and the UN; securing predictable and sustainable financing; and pairing military responses with governance-led prevention,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu explained.
She expressed hope that the forum would produce practical, implementable recommendations capable of improving the effectiveness of Africa’s peace and security institutions.
“Nigeria hopes this Forum will produce recommendations that are practical, implementable and easily embraced by Member States,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
The Minister thanked the African Union Commission, delegates and partners for their contributions, expressing confidence that the deliberations would advance collective efforts to strengthen peace, security and stability across the continent.
