Chiemelie Ezeobi in The Gambia
African leaders and security chiefs have called for stronger regional cooperation, intelligence sharing and community engagement to tackle the continent’s growing security challenges, warning that terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime and violent extremism can no longer be addressed by individual countries acting alone.
The Gambian President, Adama Barrow;
Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu; Prof Thean Potgieter of the Centre of Military Studies, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and others, made this call yesterday in The Gambia.
The call was made at the 19th Africa Security Watch Conference and Awards held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre, Banjul, The Gambia, where speakers stressed that Africa’s evolving security threats require coordinated responses anchored on stronger institutions, technology, professionalism and public trust.
Speaking on behalf of Gambian president, the country’s Minister of Interior, Abdoulie Sanyang, said the continent was facing increasingly interconnected threats, with the Sahel now emerging as the epicentre of global terrorism.
He identified terrorism, transnational organised crime, irregular migration, cybercrime, maritime insecurity, climate-induced conflicts and youth unemployment as major threats confronting Africa, noting that no country could tackle them in isolation.
Sanyang said The Gambia had continued to reform and modernise its security institutions through integrated border management, digitalisation, community policing and stronger legal frameworks since its democratic transition in 2017.
“The security of one African state is inseparable from the security of all,” he said, urging African governments to strengthen intelligence sharing, joint operations, cybersecurity cooperation, border management and legal harmonisation while ensuring security operations remain rooted in human rights and the rule of law.
Representing the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, the Director General of the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, Major General TE Gagariga, said security agencies must continue working together across borders despite changing political dynamics within the region.
Drawing from Nigeria’s experience in counter-insurgency operations, he stressed the importance of community engagement, intelligence gathering and sustained collaboration among security institutions to counter terrorism and transnational crime.
“If you do not have that one-on-one with the community, and you do not give them that trust where you can win the hearts and minds of the populace, you are fighting in vain,” Gagariga said, adding that “insecurity has no borders” and security cooperation must extend beyond political differences.
In a paper titled, “Engaging Global Best Practices in Policing Internal Security: The Nigeria Police Force Example,” the IGP Disu, who was represented by CP Akwa Ibom, Baba Azare, outlined reforms aimed at making the Nigeria Police Force more professional, accountable and technology-driven.
Disu said the force had strengthened intelligence-led policing, expanded community policing, improved officer training and welfare, enhanced human rights compliance and increased the deployment of digital policing tools, including CCTV surveillance, forensic laboratories, cybercrime investigation platforms, drone technology and artificial intelligence-supported crime analysis.
He also called for stronger collaboration among law enforcement agencies, intelligence services, INTERPOL, AFRIPOL and ECOWAS institutions to address cross-border crime and terrorism.
“Security is everybody’s responsibility, and public trust remains our greatest operational asset,” he said.
Also speaking, the Inspector General of Police of The Gambia, Seedy Touray, urged African nations to strengthen solidarity and coordination in confronting shared security threats.
“The continent has never lacked courage. What it has sometimes lacked is coordination,” Touray said, urging participants to leave Banjul with practical commitments that would strengthen peace, security and cooperation across Africa.
The conference brought together ministers, military officers, police chiefs, diplomats and security experts from across the continent to discuss practical strategies for addressing emerging security threats and strengthening regional security cooperation.