Foreign Affairs Minister, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the call in Abuja, on Thursday, at the opening of the two-day Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture.
She also stressed the need for predictable financing for AU-led operations and greater complementarity between the AU Peace Fund and international funding commitments, including those of the United Nations.
With regional security threats on the rise, multilateral efforts under pressure and gaps persisting in Africa’s security frameworks, she urged the continent to take greater responsibility for tackling its security challenges.
She raised concern over the growing wave of terrorism across the continent, noting that armed groups are increasingly using new technologies in their operations.
The Minister also pointed to the use of proceeds from transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows to finance terrorist activities.
“To strengthen Africa’s peace and security frameworks, African states need to strengthen the Continental Early Warning System, African mediation initiatives and the African Peer Review Mechanism,” she said in a statement emailed to PerSecondNews on Friday, by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oluwafemi Adeniyi.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu also underscored the importance of building enduring national peace infrastructures and enhancing intelligence-sharing among African states.
She called for greater attention to local grievances, youth unemployment and community resilience as part of efforts to strengthen peace and security across the continent.
The Minister also highlighted the need for increased support for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, while encouraging African countries to leverage the AU Counter-Terrorism Centre for the coordination of continental counter-terrorism efforts.
On peace support operations, she called for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719, as well as the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force and Regional Standby Forces.
She also called for predictable financing for AU-led operations to strengthen the continent’s capacity to undertake and sustain peace support missions.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed optimism that the Forum would produce practical and implementable recommendations needed to strengthen Africa’s collective capacity to prevent conflicts, respond to emerging threats and promote sustainable peace and security.
The forum is focused on four priority areas: mediation and preventive diplomacy; early warning and response; counter-terrorism; and peace support operations.
Nigeria expects the Forum to produce practical recommendations that will improve security coordination on the African continent, enhance financing for peace and strengthen the capacity of African institutions to effectively respond to Africa’s security challenges.
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