Nigeria has renewed calls for stronger African-led security cooperation to tackle terrorism, insurgency, and transnational crimes across the continent.
Chief of the Air Staff, Sunday Kelvin Aneke, made the call while chairing the 2026 African Air Chiefs’ Symposium in Tunis, Tunisia.
The 2026 African Air Chiefs’ Symposium brought together military leaders, air force chiefs, and strategic partners from across Africa to strengthen collaboration in airpower development and coordinated security operations.
Held under the auspices of the Association of African Air Forces, the symposium focused on enhancing peace, stability, and sustainable development across the continent through collective security efforts.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Tunis, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, stressed the need for African nations to develop practical and sustainable responses to evolving security threats.
He noted that terrorism, insurgency, transnational organised crime, and humanitarian crises continue to threaten peace and economic growth in Africa, making stronger intelligence sharing and operational coordination among African air forces imperative.
According to him, no single country can effectively address today’s complex security challenges alone, adding that Africa’s strength lies in unity, cooperation, and shared capabilities.
The Air Chief also highlighted progress made through joint initiatives of the Association, including the successful table-top exercise conducted during the 2025 symposium in Zambia, ahead of a planned field training exercise in Kenya scheduled for February 2027.
On the sidelines of the event, the Nigerian Air Force held bilateral and multilateral engagements with partner nations and international stakeholders on training, intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and counter-terrorism operations.
The meetings, according to officials, are expected to strengthen operational effectiveness and support ongoing counter-insurgency operations across the region.
At the close of the symposium, Air Marshal Aneke was unanimously re-elected Chairman of the Association of African Air Forces for another two-year term, a development seen as a vote of confidence in Nigeria’s leadership role in continental security cooperation.
He reaffirmed the need for stronger political support, improved logistics cooperation, indigenous capacity development, and sustained partnership among African nations to achieve lasting peace and security across the continent.
