Nigeria Seeks Japan, Others’ Cooperation in Tackling Security Challenges in Africa

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has decried the spate of security threats in Africa and its implications for the continent’s development.

The minister made the lamented while speaking at the Ministerial Meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held from August 24th to 25th, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan.

He said that Africa’s security and development landscape is increasingly witnessing complex threats in the form of terrorism and transnational organized crimes, noting that these vices are destabilising Africa’s peace and security architecture, undermining the pursuit of democracy and good governance, and disincentivising foreign direct investors from investing on the continent.

He however reiterated Africa’s commitment to leveraging the TICAD’s multidimensional approaches to addressing the root drivers of the security challenges encumbering its development.

Tuggar also stated that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, the presence of foreign mercenaries, the impact of climate change, and the availability of safe havens encouraging illicit financial flows are worrisome to the continent, adding that the continent loses an estimated US$88.6 billion annually to illicit flows or the equivalent of 3% of its GDP.

Tuggar also drew attention to the activities of cryptocurrency pirates undermining macroeconomic reforms on the continent by attacking local currencies.

He posited these exogenous factors are responsible for the Unconstitutional Change of Governments (UCGs) being witnessed on the continent, stressing that these security challenges could be the reason for the perceived decline in Japanese investment in Africa.

He however encouraged Japan not to shy away but to work with African leaders and other African development partners towards tackling the challenges, while equally emphasising that multidimensional support from Japan and other partners is required to actualise the global desire for a developed Africa.

 He also called for increased support in addressing the security concerns in the Lake Chad region, the Great Lakes, and the Sahel regions, as well as Sudan, Somalia, and other parts of Africa currently facing security challenges.

The minister proposed that the TICAD 9 Summit should focus on providing strategic infrastructure, foreign direct investments, capacity building, and the transfer of technology to support the growth of indigenous entrepreneurship, and innovation as well as engage in the progressive empowerment of women and youths in Africa.

He called on Japan to join Africa in pushing for the reform of the United Nations Security Council in support of Africa’s quest for fair and equitable representation in the Security Council, which he said is ethically just and temporally restitutive.

“He said that Africa deserves two seats in the permanent and non–permanent categories, as encapsulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.