The Nigerian Army and the Rwanda Defence Force have pledged to strengthen bilateral military cooperation, improve operational capabilities and promote African-led solutions to continental security challenges.
The commitment was made by Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, and Rwanda’s Army Chief of Staff, Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, during an official dinner in Kigali, Rwanda, marking the conclusion of the Nigerian delegation’s five-day working visit.
Both military leaders stressed the need for coordinated regional strategies to address growing transnational threats, terrorism and arms proliferation across the continent.
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According to a statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, Shaibu identified key areas for deeper cooperation, including specialised military training, professional cadet exchanges, intelligence sharing, joint exercises, cybersecurity, army aviation and defence technology innovation.
He urged African armed forces to embrace emerging technologies, including unmanned systems, advanced surveillance platforms and artificial intelligence, to improve operational effectiveness and reduce reliance on external defence providers.
Shaibu emphasised the importance of developing indigenous military capabilities to enable African countries to address security challenges with greater self-reliance.
In his remarks, Nyakarundi described the engagement as an important step towards building long-term institutional partnerships and improving tactical interoperability between the two armies.
He also stressed the need to translate strategic discussions into practical military cooperation to strengthen collective responses to evolving security threats.
The engagement underscores Nigeria and Rwanda’s commitment to expanding defence ties and advancing regional security through collaboration, capacity building and technology development.
