BY JONAH NWOKPOKU

The Director General of Inter-governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA, Dr. Abdullahi Shehu has said that provision of equal trading opportunities for developing countries in Africa would help to address the problem of terrorism in the continent. Shehu stated this in an address at the United Nations Security Council meeting on combating terrorism in Africa held in New York.

Shehu who was proffering solutions to the menace of terrorism in Africa, said there is need for strategic partnerships among national, regional and international actors, while advocating for a stronger political commitment and leadership, establishment of an effective early warning mechanism for the prevention of conflict and terrorism.

He identified other solutions to include capacity building and support to States to promote rule of law, democracy and good governance for the prevention of conflict, and the maintenance of international peace and security, provision of technical assistance, the need to improve and sustain cooperation and coordination at the national, regional and international levels, including the involvement of civil society organizations and the private sector.

He therefore called on national, regional and international actors to close ranks in order to effectively fight the menace of terrorism in Africa.

He however noted that most African countries are incapable of dealing with the problems in isolation due to many challenges confronting them, arguing that the impact of terrorist acts which are manifested in various dimensions is widespread, and that the patterns and locations of these terrorist acts depend on the ideology, intents and capability of the perpetrators.

In his words, “While most terrorist activities have been driven by extremist and political motivations, we are yet to see perhaps a devastating pattern if terrorist groups are driven by a feeling of deprivation, hunger, poverty and unemployment, and that may be even more difficult to control in a country” he said.

The Director General outlined the factors that exacerbate terrorism to include political corruption, weaknesses in the legal framework and institutional mechanisms for the prevention of terrorists acts; inadequate skills and manpower for effective law enforcement; insufficient resources yet competing priorities as well as inadequate inter-agency cooperation within countries and internationally.