The European Union Delegation to Nigeria, in partnership with the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) under the Office of the National Security Adviser, held the Abuja “Road to Schuman Forum on Security and Defence” on May 15, 2024. The event took place at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. The forum was themed “Reducing vulnerabilities through partnerships” and served as a preparatory meeting for the main Schuman Forum on Security and Defence, set to occur on May 28 and 29 in Brussels.
The forum gathered representatives from national and regional agencies, civil society organisations, academia, and international development partners. It facilitated knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration on urgent security issues in West Africa. The discussions primarily focused on Nigeria’s and the region’s prospects for partnership with the European Union.
The Abuja “Road to Schuman Forum” aimed to reduce vulnerabilities through partnerships. It brought together various stakeholders including representatives from national and regional agencies, civil society organisations, universities and international development partners. The event's agenda centered around preparing discussions for the upcoming Schuman Forum while creating a platform to deliberate on pressing security issues particularly focusing on prospects for Nigeria and West Africa.
During the opening ceremony, two speeches were delivered. Charlie Stuart, representing the European Union stated: “The European Union is still examining the right approach to good cooperation between Africa and the EU, and each country’s context is different. Together, we need to rethink what security means. In addition to the usual military and police security actions, we need to focus more on economic development solutions in the region”.
Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), highlighted that ECOWAS has implemented mechanisms such as the Accra Initiative which aims at preventing terrorism spread from Sahel to coastal countries of West Africa.
Representatives of the ECOWAS Commission, the Office of the National Security Adviser and EU Member States, including Germany, discussed current security challenges in the Sahel region, the spread of threats to coastal states and the need to redefine the security architecture during the event.
The Abuja “Road to Schuman Forum” also emphasized the EU’s role as a global organizer and strategic partner, underlining the importance of international partnerships in combating transnational threats such as terrorism and organized crime.
The discussions at the Abuja “Road to Schuman Forum” are expected to contribute to the main Schuman Forum in Brussels and strengthen partnerships between the EU and West Africa in addressing regional security challenges.
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