President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Sunday depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, to participate in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting, with a special focus on addressing the growing security crisis in West Africa.
The meeting, which begins on Monday, October 14, will bring together Heads of State and Government, as well as senior intelligence and military officials from across Africa, alongside representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations.
Launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Aqaba Process, co-chaired this year by Jordan and the Italian government, is a global counterterrorism initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation against transnational security threats.
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According to a statement issued on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, discussions at the summit will centre on the expansion of terrorist networks in the Sahel, the growing crime-terror nexus, and the overlap between land-based terrorism and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Participants will exchange assessments of the current security landscape in West Africa and foster collaboration between regional and international partners to address cross-border security challenges,” the statement said.
The meeting will also explore strategies to counter online radicalisation, disrupt digital terror networks, and strengthen joint responses to threats both on land and at sea.
Beyond attending the plenary sessions, President Tinubu is expected to hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders to discuss collective approaches to regional and global security concerns.
The President will be accompanied by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, among other senior government officials.
The Aqaba Process serves as a platform for dialogue and coordination on security, intelligence sharing, and counterterrorism efforts across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
