By Favour Ulebor

The Federal Government has raised alarm over the growing use of new technologies by terrorist groups in Africa, calling for stronger intelligence sharing and better funding to tackle the security threat.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, raised the concern in a statement issued by the ministry on Friday, following her remarks at the opening of the Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture in Abuja.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said armed groups were increasingly using new technologies in their operations and funding their activities through transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows.

She decried the growing wave of terrorism on the African continent, noting that armed groups were adopting new technologies to carry out their operations and using proceeds of transnational organised crime to finance their activities.

She called on African countries to take greater responsibility for addressing the continent’s security challenges amid growing terrorism, regional security threats and weaknesses in existing security frameworks.

Against the backdrop of growing regional security threats and pressures on multilateralism, the minister called for “a stronger, better funded and self-reliant African peace and security architecture” capable of addressing the continent’s evolving security challenges.

The minister urged African states to strengthen intelligence sharing, improve early warning systems and support African-led mediation efforts to prevent conflicts and respond to emerging threats.

She urged African states to strengthen the Continental Early Warning System, African mediatory initiatives and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

She also called for greater attention to local grievances, youth unemployment and community resilience, noting the need to address issues that could contribute to insecurity.

The minister underscored the importance of building enduring national peace infrastructures and enhancing intelligence sharing among African states to improve the continent’s response to security threats.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu stressed the importance of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for people affected by terrorism and encouraged African countries to use the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts across the continent.

She stressed the need for increased support for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes and encouraged African countries to leverage the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUTC) for the coordination of continental counter-terrorism efforts.

She further called for predictable funding for African Union-led peace operations, stressing the need to strengthen the AU Peace Fund and complement it with international funding commitments, including support from the United Nations.

Speaking on the relationship between the AU Peace Fund and international funding commitments, including those of the United Nations, the minister emphasised the need to “institutionalise predictable financing for AU-led operations.”

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 would help strengthen peace support operations in Africa.

She also called for the full operation of the African Standby Force and regional standby forces to improve the continent’s capacity to respond to security threats.

The minister called for enhanced peace support operations through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719, as well as the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) and regional standby forces.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed hope that the two-day consultative forum would produce practical recommendations to improve Africa’s ability to prevent conflicts, respond to emerging security threats and promote lasting peace.

She expressed optimism that the forum would produce practical and implementable recommendations 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 key areas: mediation and preventive diplomacy, early warning and response, counter-terrorism, and peace support operations.

According to the minister, the recommendations are expected to improve security coordination, strengthen funding for peace operations and build the capacity of African institutions to address the continent’s security challenges.