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Council of European Union’s Africa Working Group Begins 4-day Visit to Nigeria
Council of European Union’s Africa Working Group Begins 4-day Visit to Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
Members of the Council of European Union’s Africa Working Party (COAFR) have arrived in Abuja to begin a four-day working visit to the country.
During the visit taking place from 26-29 February 2024, the COAFR members will engage with Nigerian authorities, government agencies, civil society groups, regional and international organisations and private sector actors in Abuja and in Lagos.
According to a statement on Sunday by the European Union in Nigeria, the Africa Working Party (COAFR) is mandated with the supervision and management of EU external policy towards the 46 countries of the sub-Saharan Africa, the African Union and other sub-regional organisations, including ECOWAS.
The Africa Working Party (COAFR) is composed of representatives of all 27 EU Member States, chaired by a permanent member of the European External Action Service (EEAS), and assisted by representatives of the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council. It works under the auspices of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), itself composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and/or development of the 27 Member States of the European Union.
The statement said in Abuja, the visiting COAFR members will meet with key Federal Government ministries and agencies starting from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, among others.
They will also have an interactive session with the ECOWAS Commission on regional developments and integration processes.
In Lagos, the COAFR is expected to meet with the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Consuls General of EU Member States, and the leadership of the European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria.
They will also visit several EU-funded projects in the state featuring digital and innovation, critical infrastructure and connectivity and migration. Deliberations during the meetings will centre on further boosting EU-Nigeria partnership.
The Africa Working Party’s (COAFR) visits to African countries aim at promoting direct contact, mutual information exchange and feedback between the political and foreign policy organs of the European Union and their African counterparts. They play an important role on taking stock of state and non-state actors views, perspectives, aspirations and expectations regarding their partnership with the European Union, its closest neighbour and its sister continent.
The team will commence a similar visit to the neighbouring Republic of Benin at the end of its current mission in Nigeria.
According to the statement, this is the group’s first-ever working visit to Nigeria, noting that in addition to the representatives of 17 EU Member States also officials from EU institutions, are expected to be in the team.
The statement further revealed that this year’s working visit will be the eleventh visit of the COAFR to the African continent, and the third visit to West Africa – following earlier visits to Senegal and Burkina Faso (2015) and Ivory Coast and Ghana (2019).
It said more than ever before, several top EU officials have visited Nigeria in recent years and months, underlining the importance the EU accords its partnership with the country.
Last October, the EU’s Commissioner for International Partnership, Ms. Jutta Urpilainen, her counterpart for Energy, Ms. Kadri Simson, led other top officials to participate in the EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue Meeting held Abuja. The Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Ms Helena Konig, and the Managing Director, Africa at the EEAS, Ms. Rita Laranjinha, were also in the country shortly before then, following the visits in 2022 of European Commission’s Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager in February 2022, EU and Member States Maritime Security Coordinators in April 2022 and senior officials of the European Commission in charge of Energy and Home Affairs.
is mandated with the supervision and management of EU external policy towards the 46 countries of the sub-Saharan Africa, the African Union and other sub-regional organisations, including ECOWAS.
The Africa Working Party (COAFR) is composed of representatives of all 27 EU Member States, chaired by a permanent member of the European External Action Service (EEAS), and assisted by representatives of the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council. It works under the auspices of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), itself composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and/or development of the 27 Member States of the European Union.
In Abuja, the visiting COAFR members will meet with key Federal Government ministries and agencies starting from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, among others. They will also have an interactive session with the ECOWAS Commission on regional developments and integration processes.
In Lagos, the COAFR is expected to meet with the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Consuls General of EU Member States, and the leadership of the European Business Chamber (EuroCham) Nigeria.
They will also visit several EU-funded projects in the state featuring digital and innovation, critical infrastructure and connectivity and migration. Deliberations during the meetings will centre on further boosting EU-Nigeria partnership.
The Africa Working Party’s (COAFR) visits to African countries aim at promoting direct contact, mutual information exchange and feedback between the political and foreign policy organs of the European Union and their African counterparts. They play an important role on taking stock of state and non-state actors views, perspectives, aspirations and expectations regarding their partnership with the European Union, its closest neighbour and its sister continent. The team will commence a similar visit to the neighbouring Republic of Benin at the end of its current mission in Nigeria.
This is the group’s first-ever working visit to Nigeria. In addition to the representatives of 17 EU Member States also officials from EU institutions, are expected to be in the team. This year’s working visit will be the eleventh visit of the COAFR to the African continent, and the third visit to West Africa – following earlier visits to Senegal and Burkina Faso (2015) and Ivory Coast and Ghana (2019).
More than ever before, several top EU officials have visited Nigeria in recent years and months, underlining the importance the EU accords its partnership with the country. Last October, the EU’s Commissioner for International Partnership, Ms. Jutta Urpilainen, her counterpart for Energy, Ms. Kadri Simson, led other top officials to participate in the EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue Meeting held Abuja. The Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Ms Helena Konig, and the Managing Director, Africa at the EEAS, Ms. Rita Laranjinha, were also in the country shortly before then, following the visits in 2022 of European Commission’s Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager in February 2022, EU and Member States Maritime Security Coordinators in April 2022 and senior officials of the European Commission in charge of Energy and Home Affairs.
Council of European Union’s Africa Working Group Begins 4-day Visit to Nigeria
News
Zulum Calls for AI-Driven Security Reform at Kogi Summit, Urges Tackling of Root Causes of Insecurity
Zulum Calls for AI-Driven Security Reform at Kogi Summit, Urges Tackling of Root Causes of Insecurity
By: Michael Mike
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has called for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s security strategy, urging greater adoption of advanced technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address escalating security challenges across the country.
Speaking at the Kogi Security Summit held in Abuja on Tuesday, Zulum warned that conventional security approaches are no longer sufficient to confront increasingly sophisticated criminal networks. He advocated the integration of modern surveillance systems, including drones, biometric tracking technologies, and predictive analytics to detect and prevent attacks before they occur.
“For us to address insecurity, we need to possess modern technological warfare. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics are now being deployed globally to combat crime,” the governor said.
Beyond technological investment, Zulum emphasised the importance of citizen participation in security management, insisting that communities must take greater responsibility in intelligence sharing and local vigilance rather than relying solely on security agencies.
He further stressed that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without addressing the socio-economic drivers of insecurity. According to him, widespread poverty, unemployment, infrastructural decay, and environmental vulnerabilities continue to fuel recruitment into criminal groups.
“While it is critical to purchase equipment such as vehicles, MRAPs, drones and other facilities to confront insecurity, most importantly, without addressing underlying factors such as poverty, road infrastructure, agriculture, among others, insecurity will not end,” Zulum said, urging policymakers to channel part of security funding into development-focused interventions.
He added that “understanding the socio-economic and political dimensions of every crisis is very important. Increasing poverty, climate vulnerabilities, infrastructural deficit, illiteracy, among others, have to be addressed if we want security in our communities.”
Reiterating the link between peace, security, and development, the governor noted that no meaningful progress can be achieved in an atmosphere of instability.
“The security of lives and property is the cardinal objective of any administration. The nexus between peace and security cannot be overemphasised. It is only when there is security that there will be peace; and without peace, there will be no development,” he said.
Governor Zulum was accompanied at the summit by Hon. Engr. Bukar Talba, member representing Marte, Monguno and Nganzai Federal Constituency
Zulum Calls for AI-Driven Security Reform at Kogi Summit, Urges Tackling of Root Causes of Insecurity
Communal clash at illegal mining site leaves five injured in Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
A violent clash between residents of Boko and Jaya villages in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara state has left at least five persons injured following a dispute at a stone mining site.
Sources said the incident occurred on April 20 at about 11:00 a.m. at the Kwanza Stone Mining Site, located between the two communities.
According to the sources, the clash began when members of both villages engaged in illegal mining activities at the site, leading to a disagreement that escalated into violence, with both sides allegedly using firearms.
The sources said the injured victims include Sha’aibu Adamu, 30; Shakiru Suleiman, 26; Kasu Boko, 27; Abdullahi Dahiru, 25; and Ibrahim Usman, 25, all from the affected communities.
They added that the exact number of persons killed could not be immediately confirmed at the time of filing the report.
A joint security team comprising troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA. police personnel and community protection guards was swiftly deployed to the area to restore order.
The injured victims were evacuated to the General Hospital in Kaura Namoda for medical treatment.
Security authorities said normalcy had since been restored in the area, while efforts were ongoing to identify and arrest those involved in the violence.
They also confirmed that investigation into the incident had commenced.
Communal clash at illegal mining site leaves five injured in Zamfara
Security forces foil Kidnapping, flee after alarm in Gombe community
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed men suspected to be kidnappers have attempted to abduct residents in Unguwan Yamma, Amada area of Akko Local Government Area of Gombe state.
Sources said the incident occurred at about 3:20 a.m. when the attackers stormed the residence of one Alhaji Muhammad Abba, who narrowly escaped the attack.
According to the sources, the assailants proceeded to a neighbouring house where they abducted a child after the mother raised alarm.
The sources said the kidnappers, however, abandoned the child and fled the scene following the commotion.
A divisional patrol team, alongside hunters and local vigilantes, was immediately mobilised to the area and is currently on the trail of the suspects.
Police authorities said investigation was ongoing, while efforts had been intensified to apprehend the fleeing attackers and prevent further incidents in the area.
Security forces foil Kidnapping, flee after alarm in Gombe community
Zulum Calls for AI-Driven Security Reform at Kogi Summit, Urges Tackling of Root Causes of Insecurity
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Communal clash at illegal mining site leaves five injured in Zamfara
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