Abuja- Clara Dabo
In a compelling call to action at the close of the 2025 African Defence Colleges’ Strategic Level Seminar on Professional Military Education, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has urged African military institutions to move beyond dialogue and embrace decisive, coordinated action in shaping the continent’s security future through education.
The Minister who was represented by Mrs. Bosade Olaniyi, Director, Department of Joint Services at the Ministry of Defence, the Minister delivered the keynote address at the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, where military leaders, scholars, and strategic thinkers from across Africa and the United States had gathered for three days of high-level discourse on building synergy through education.
“This is not just another forum,” Olaniyi said on behalf of the Minister. “This is a convergence of visionary defence leaders at a pivotal moment in our history a time when the global security landscape is being redefined, and Africa must respond not with isolation, but with collaboration.”
While noting the Minister’s absence due to national obligations tied to the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, she emphasised that the Federal Government of Nigeria remains firmly committed to regional security, professional military education, and the long-term stability of the continent.
The Minister’s message underscored the urgent need for harmonised curricula, intelligence sharing, and interoperable strategies to combat modern threats such as terrorism, transnational crimes, cyber warfare, and political instability.
“The challenges we face do not respect borders. They demand joint solutions and shared doctrines. The conversations held here must become frameworks for future cooperation,” she said.
Olaniyi commended the National Defence College and its partners, particularly the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, for their commitment to institutional excellence. She praised the delegates’ contributions and called on them to return to their countries not just as participants, but as architects of Africa’s defence future.
Earlier, the Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Admiral James Okosun, in his closing remarks reaffirmed the College’s role as a strategic hub for defence diplomacy, innovation, and regional integration.
“This seminar has strengthened the intellectual foundation for how we respond to shared threats,” he said. “It is our collective duty to ensure that our defence colleges are not just reactive, but visionary and adaptive.”
Rear Admiral Okosun proposed the establishment of a continental working group to standardise defence curricula, encourage joint training exercises, and promote a unified African military education model capable of meeting 21st-century challenges.
He also acknowledged the guidance of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, whose emphasis on interagency and international cooperation continues to shape the Armed Forces’ strategic direction.Over the three-day seminar, Commandants, senior military officers, defence scholars, and representatives from more than 15 countries examined issues ranging from institutional capacity building and civil-military relations to emerging threats in cyberspace and asymmetric warfare.
Delegates agreed that sustainable peace in Africa must be driven by a well-educated and strategically minded officer corps equipped to anticipate and adapt to complex geostrategic shifts. Participants described the seminar as timely, forward-looking, and impactful, with several countries expressing interest in formalising regional partnerships in military education.
As Africa confronts increasingly interconnected security threats, the 2025 Strategic Level Seminar has once again affirmed that unity of thought, shared values, and professional development remain the strongest tools in safeguarding the continent’s future.
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