The African continent is currently facing the scourges of terrorism and violent extremism, as well as the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government. These developments have adverse negative impact on the peace, security, and stability of African communities.

These were comments made by Ambassador Jainaba Jagne, Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the African Union and Chairperson of the African Union Peace and Security Council for the month of April 2024.

She was speaking on Wednesday 24 April 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, during the 1st inaugural consultation meeting between the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union and the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the ambassadorial level.

According to the Gambian diplomat, available data shows that the western part of the continent is the most affected by these scourges. “Four (4) of the six (6) AU Member States suspended for coups are West African countries. This has never happened in the history of the African Union and, I believe, in the history of ECOWAS too. According to the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism, the West African region is the most affected by the scourge of terrorism and violent extremism on the continent, particularly in terms of attacks, deaths, and injuries”, Ambassador Jainaba Jagne said.

She recalled the tireless efforts made by governments and regional and continental institutions, in particular the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), to promote and consolidate democracy. These efforts include the various normative instruments adopted by the African Union to address the security challenges facing the African continent, and targeted sanctions against the perpetrators of coups.

In her words, the best response to these scourges is stronger cooperation between the PSC and the RECs to bolster efforts to tackle the security challenges posed by the spread of terrorism and violent extremism. “We must work together as one. Our strong common voice will strengthen our continental and regional efforts and prevent external interference. This will ensure that we take ownership of our peace agenda”, Jainaba Jagne emphasised.

She called for preventive diplomacy to forestall coups, terrorism, and violent extremism, as well as the development of joint strategies and actions for West African countries, and increased coordination, synergies, and regular commitments.

These were also the thoughts of Ambassador Musa Sani Nuhu, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS and Chairman of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC). “By aligning strategies and actions, this joint consultation will foster a better understanding of regional security dynamics, harmonise preventive diplomacy efforts and develop more effective conflict resolution strategies, thereby ensuring a more coherent and comprehensive approach to regional peace and stability”, he opined.

He urged participants to explore areas of cooperation, particularly concerted strategies to maintain zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government and effective measures to combat terrorism.

Ambassador Musa Sani Nuhu also called for discussions not only on resource mobilisation for regional and continental peace initiatives, but also on increased synergies in such joint efforts.

A number of issues were on the agenda for this inaugural meeting. These include unconstitutional changes of government and terrorism, as well as the mobilisation of internal resources to finance peace operations at regional and continental levels.

The participants will also discuss issues relating to greater synergy, coherence, coordination, and complementarity, as well as the contextualisation of cooperation between the African Union and ECOWAS in the areas of peace, governance, and security.

It should be noted that this 1st inaugural meeting between the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the ambassadorial level is taking place 20 years after the creation of the PSC. “Our intention is to regularise these meetings with all the Regional Economic Communities in Africa and strengthen our relations by ensuring that we have regular and close consultations on peace and security issues,” Ambassador Jainaba Jagne urged.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

HE Vice President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire Tiemoko Meyliet Kone met with HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Cote d’Ivoire Mubarak bin Hussein Al Marri.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation relations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.

HE Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire Kacou Houadja Leon Adom met with HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Cote d’Ivoire Mubarak bin Hussein Al Marri in Abidjan.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation relations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.

During her trip to Angola, Administrator Samantha Power announced expanding partnerships that reflect the deepening relationship between the United States and Angola. 

At Angola’s Instituto Nacional de Investigação em Saúde (National Health Research Institute) Administrator Power announced that USAID-led U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is expanding geographic coverage for malaria prevention and control activities in Angola, to include the province of Moxico. This provides financial and technical assistance that enables the Government of the Republic of Angola to deploy life-saving interventions proven to fight malaria. Angola is highly vulnerable to malaria, and its prevalence is particularly high in Moxico, the country’s largest province. The expansion of PMI’s geographic coverage to Moxico comes with a strong commitment from the Government of the Republic of Angola to ensure that key gaps in malaria prevention and treatment are addressed in other areas of the country. PMI’s collaboration with Angola has contributed to a 29 percent reduction in deaths from malaria since 2020. 

Since 2006, PMI has invested $415 million in Angola, including the procurement and delivery of insecticide-treated nets as well as commodities used for malaria diagnosis and treatment, health worker training, and investments in entomological monitoring and supply chain management.

In Benguela, Administrator Power launched an expansion of the USAID project Women in Angolan Farming, a public-private partnership to strengthen livelihoods and increase food security in rural communities by empowering women to be leaders in the agricultural sector. Women in Angola Farming is currently active in six provinces in Angola, and the new funding will allow the program to expand into four additional provinces: Cuando Cubango, Benguela, Huambo, and Bié. Benguela, Huambo, and Bié provinces are part of the Lobito Corridor, an area being developed to connect the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to regional and global trade markets via railways to the Port of Lobito.

More than 20,000 women smallholder farmers will benefit from this project, not only by being able to increase their agricultural output, but also through increased access to national identity cards, birth certificates, bank and mobile money accounts, basic literacy, and land tenure, all of which are critical for wider and gender equitable rural development. 

Administrator Power also launched the start of a new partnership with the Ministry of Transport to increase private investment in infrastructure. The partnership will build capacity to replicate the success of the Lobito Atlantic Rail concession of December 2022 and the Lobito Port concession of March 2024, through additional open, transparent, and competitive procurements in infrastructure. 

The new partnership between the USAID and the Angolan Ministry of Transport supports the Government of Angola’s goal of facilitating similar procurements that can generate private investment in Angola’s infrastructure in Lobito and across the country, without having to rely on burdensome debt finance. These investments will create thousands of jobs and provide new economic opportunities for Angolans in the Corridor and beyond.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United States Agency for International Development (USAID).