The leadership of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) Nigeria Chapter has reinforced its growing influence in regional security governance and policy engagement following its active participation in a high-level strategic workshop on counterterrorism implementation and oversight in West Africa.
The strategic engagement, organized by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, brought together senior security officials, lawmakers, governance experts, policymakers, civil society leaders, and regional stakeholders from across West Africa to examine practical approaches toward combating terrorism and violent extremism within the sub-region.
The workshop served as a major platform for advancing regional cooperation, strengthening policy coordination, improving institutional oversight, and enhancing implementation of counterterrorism frameworks at both national and regional levels.
Nigeria’s delegation stood out as one of the most strategically diverse and influential representations at the gathering, reflecting strong collaboration between the country’s security architecture, governance institutions, legislative bodies, policy think tanks, and civil society organizations.
Among the notable Nigerian participants were Brigadier General Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, Principal General Staff Officer from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); Dr. Abdullateef O.T. Shittu, Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Dr. Ibrahim Katsina, Head of Peace and Security Department at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, Chairman Senate Committee on Army; Hon. Satomi Ahmad, Chairman House Committee on Defence; ACG David Idowu Ajelabi, Vice President of the ACSS Nigeria Chapter; Suleiman A. Mande, Secretary General of the ACSS Nigeria Chapter; Dr. Jerry Uhuo, Senior Adviser on Policy and Strategy to the Speaker of the House of Representatives; Dr. Kemi Okenyodo, Executive Director of Partners West Africa Nigeria; Dr. Kabiru Adamu, Managing Director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited; and Mrs. Pamela West from the Research Department of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Throughout the engagements, participants conducted extensive reviews of the current state of counterterrorism strategy implementation across West African countries, while identifying gaps in coordination, intelligence sharing, institutional accountability, and operational oversight.
Discussions focused heavily on strengthening democratic governance within security operations, improving legislative oversight, deepening inter-agency cooperation, expanding community engagement initiatives, and promoting whole-of-society approaches to addressing violent extremism and insecurity across the region.
Members of the Nigerian delegation emphasized that the rapidly evolving security landscape in Nigeria and West Africa demands stronger collaboration among government institutions, civil society organizations, regional bodies, academia, and international partners.
They stressed that security challenges confronting the region can no longer be addressed through isolated institutional responses, but require coordinated, intelligence-driven, and evidence-based strategies capable of producing measurable outcomes.
The participation of the ACSS Nigeria Chapter leadership was widely seen as a reflection of the Chapter’s increasing strategic relevance as a respected platform for professional collaboration, policy dialogue, thought leadership, and actionable engagement on peacebuilding, democratic accountability, national resilience, and security sector governance.
Participants at the workshop also highlighted the urgent need to move beyond policy conversations and declarations toward practical implementation capable of translating strategic recommendations into concrete national and regional impact.
Critical conversations during the sessions centered on improving implementation frameworks for the National Counter Terrorism Strategy, enhancing trust-building initiatives between security agencies and communities, strengthening governance structures, and improving institutional accountability mechanisms within security operations.
The workshop further created fresh opportunities for deeper collaboration between the ACSS Nigeria Chapter and key Nigerian institutions, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, civil society organizations, and regional security stakeholders.
Stakeholders acknowledged the strategic importance of the ACSS alumni network in bridging the gap between policy formulation, governance systems, strategic research, operational implementation, and institutional coordination across multiple sectors.
Speaking on the significance of the engagement, leaders of the ACSS Nigeria Chapter described the workshop as a major step toward positioning the Chapter as a formidable network of professionals and institutions committed to advancing peace, democratic governance, sustainable development, and regional security cooperation in Africa.
They reaffirmed the Chapter’s commitment to supporting strategic conversations, policy innovation, and practical interventions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture and promoting collaborative solutions to the increasingly complex security threats facing the African continent.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies continues to serve as one of the leading platforms for advancing strategic security studies, professional development, regional cooperation, and policy engagement between African leaders and the United States in addressing evolving peace and security challenges across Africa.
