Nigeria’s Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, has called on African military leaders to embrace unity, technology, and development-driven security strategies as the continent faces growing threats from violent extremism, climate change, and cyber warfare.
Speaking at the first-ever African Chiefs of Defense Staff Summit held in Abuja, Mohammed praised Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa, for hosting the historic gathering and urged African nations to seize the opportunity to reshape security cooperation on their own terms.
Mohammed paid special tribute to women, noting that they are often the hardest hit during conflicts—losing husbands, children, and even their own lives. She stressed that women must not only be recognized as victims but also included as partners in building peace. “Every one of you is born of a woman. Women are the bedrock of peace in our homes, and they must also be part of the search for peace on the warfront,” she said.
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The UN Deputy Secretary-General warned that Africa has become the “epicenter of global terror,” citing the resurgence of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin, Al-Qaeda and ISIS affiliates across the Sahel, and extremist recruitment of young people driven by poverty and lack of education. She revealed that more than 14,000 schools were shut down in the Sahel last year, denying millions of children access to education and creating fertile ground for extremist propaganda.
Mohammed also highlighted how extremist groups are exploiting new technologies, including drones, improvised explosive devices, and social media, to spread violence and hate. She cautioned that artificial intelligence, while useful in predicting food insecurity and detecting landmines, could also enable cyberattacks and human rights abuses if misused. “Cyberspace is now a battlefield. Once it was radio that fueled genocide, today it is social media spreading hate at terrifying speed,” she warned.
The UN chief described climate change as a “threat multiplier” that worsens instability. Shrinking water levels in Lake Chad have displaced over 3 million people, while extreme weather continues to trigger food scarcity and conflict across Africa. “Climate change is a clear and present danger to peace,” she said, urging African leaders to treat it as a security priority.
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While praising Africa’s leadership in peacekeeping—from ECOMOG in Liberia to AU missions in Somalia and the DRC—Mohammed stressed that regional defense efforts are too often undermined by mistrust and lack of funding. She urged African governments to pool resources, share intelligence, and invest in local innovation to strengthen collective security.
She also called for fairer global financial systems, debt relief, and affordable credit to give African nations the fiscal space to invest in education, jobs, and healthcare—the real foundations of long-term peace. Mohammed challenged African leaders to rethink spending priorities. While the world spent $2.7 trillion on military budgets in 2024, she noted, basic development needs remain underfunded by $4 trillion annually. “Without security, development is impossible. But without development, security cannot hold,” she said.
On the issue of democracy, she warned that manipulated elections and unconstitutional changes of government undermine security and weaken Africa’s stability. According to her, democracy must be robust and representative if it is to serve as a safeguard against instability.
Quoting Nelson Mandela, Amina Mohammed urged African defense chiefs to act with courage, trust, and shared purpose to safeguard the continent’s future. “This summit marks the birth of a new era in African security cooperation. Strategic defense collaboration is not a slogan—it is the bridge between the threats we face today and the peace we promise tomorrow,” she concluded.
