President Bola Tinubu has called on the Africa Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) to prioritise the establishment of a combined maritime task force to enhance security in the Gulf of Guinea.
The President expressed Nigeria’s readiness to host the task force’s headquarters in Lagos at the ongoing AU summit in Adis Ababa.
President Tinubu conveyed Nigeria’s position as the AU considered the report on the AUPSC, focusing on peace and security in Africa, and the biennial report on the implementation of the Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns in Africa (2023-2024).
The statement was delivered on behalf of President Tinubu by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar.
Nigeria’s recommendation of a maritime task force comes on the same day that it signed an agreement with the AU to provide Strategic Sea Lift Services for AU peace support operations, natural disaster support, humanitarian actions, and personnel movement.
Nigeria’s defence minister, Badaru Abubakar, signed the agreement. Under the agreement, the Nigerian Navy will provide a vessel for the operations on a cost-recovery basis.
President Tinubu expressed satisfaction that the AUPSC had already adopted the outcomes of a high–level meeting, including the decision to upgrade the Nigerian National Counter-Terrorism Centre to a Regional Counter–Terrorism Centre.
He also appreciated the Peace and Security Council’s decision to renew the mandate of the Multinational Joint Taskforce, addressing the twin challenges of terrorism and violent extremism in the Lake Chad Region.
On Libya, the Nigerian leader expressed concern that the instability in the North African country has continued to worsen security challenges in the Sahel and called on the Assembly to back initiatives to restore law and order.
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President Tinubu highlighted the severe insecurity affecting countries grappling with democratic transition, including Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Gabon.
“It would not be out of place to explore the possibility of extending the inherent benefits of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 to support AU Peace Support Operations,”
In doing so, he added that the AU must try to prevent the increasing incursion of extra-continental forces, including private military companies, into African security matters.
President Tinubu also strongly supported an African-led credit rating agency (ACRA), noting that it would provide fairer, more transparent credit assessments for African economies.
“An independent African-led rating agency will help provide fairer assessments of African economies and reduce the bias often observed in existing global rating agencies,”
President Tinubu commended the African Union (AU), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Finance for their visionary leadership in advancing an African framework for financing development among member states.
He noted that the Africa Financing Stability Mechanism (AFSM) is crucial as the continent continues to face significant challenges, including rising borrowing costs, debt overhang, low domestic resource mobilisation, and limited access to long-term affordable financing.
The Nigerian leader acknowledged the significant progress made at the 5th Extraordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Finance, held in November 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, which reached key decisions.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
