President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has harped on the problems posed by foreign interests and agencies in fuelling terrorism and banditry across the African continent.
Tinubu spoke at a two-day African Counter-Terrorism high-level summit in Abuja on Monday.
He said the centre will serve as a hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and capacity building throughout Africa.
President Tinubu also stated that the African region must strengthen existing counter-terrorism structures, such as the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) in Abuja, the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT) in Algiers, and the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) in Addis Ababa.
He called for the establishment of a regional counter-terrorism centre that would tackle the spate of insecurity across the borders of African States.
He also affirmed that Nigeria is committed to working with regional partners to strengthen arms control measures, enhance border security, and disrupt the illicit trafficking networks that fuel terrorism and organised crime, while urging firm and expeditious actions against prevailing insecurity on the continent.
He underscored the importance of a regional Standby force that includes tackling terrorism as part of its mandate.
Also speaking, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Ms. Amina Mohammed said one of the ways to flush out the dangers of terrorism on the continent is for Africa to work to rebuild its social contract with its citizens, and deliver good governance.
Ms. Mohammed noted that, “rebuilding the social contract is necessary for recovery.
“We must pay attention to women and girls who are greatly impacted by terrorism, including the youth. Providing support and healing for those impacted by terrorism is important.”
