The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has condemned the spate of insecurity facing African nations, saying the continent is faced with what he described as serious and evolving security threats.

Speaking at the opening of the Africa Chief of Defence Staff Conference in Abuja on Monday, Matawalle, who represented the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Bagudu, called for strong collaboration to tackle the challenges.

The Minister said Nigeria has played a leading role in promoting regional peace and security, and the nation’s armed forces have been involved in peacekeeping, counterterrorism, and humanitarian missions in Africa and beyond.

He reiterated the military’s commitment to strengthening the defence partnership to support peace, development, and democratic values.

This is as he called on African nations to invest in modern technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to defeat monstrous terrorist groups, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, Al-Qaeda, and Al-Shabaab, wreaking havoc in parts of the continent.

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He said that a digital solution was needed to defeat some of the enemies threatening the territorial integrity of nations in Africa.

“These challenges are complex, transnational, and increasingly asymmetric. Tackling them requires not just resilience but also strong continental cooperation.

“Today, we take an important step forward. We affirm that Africa’s security must be driven by Africa’s solutions, leadership, and unity.

“This summit reflects our beliefs that no single country can scale the continent alone. We must work together to share intelligence and build trust among defence institutions.

“The future of welfare is digital. As defence ministers, we must invest in cyberdefence, artificial intelligence, and indigenous military technologies.

“Africa must not just keep up with global trends, but we must take the lead in shaping them. Let this summit serve as a platform for strategic planning,” Matawalle told the participants.