The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has called for Africa’s unity and collective voice towards ensuring continental security and development.

Mr Musa made the call on Monday at the induction of the Military Staff Committee (MSC) of the African Union Commission (AUC) Retreat for member states held at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos State.

The CDS was represented by AVM Bashiru Mammanthe, the commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi.

The MSC comprised senior military officers from the AU’s 15-member Peace and Security Council (PSC) countries.

AU-PSC is the highest multilateral institution on the continent, charged with providing a continental approach and mechanism for addressing matters of continental peace and security.

Mr Musa said the PSC was a critical component of the AU-PSC framework and that Nigeria was pleased to identify with the vast and diverse pool of experience that the MSC represents.

“This gathering and the deliberations will affirm a collective commitment to fostering a more secure, stable, resilient and prosperous Africa, laying the foundation for a brighter future for our continent.

“In the face of growing nationalism across the globe, it is expedient that Africa seeks to galvanise itself to weed the continent from dependence and undo external influence,” he said.

The CDS said he believed that entrenching stability and sustainability through security on the continent was fundamental to Africa becoming independent and free from external influence.

“So, your collective voices must be strong and unified as we provide strategic guidance on key issues like conflict prevention, peacekeeping and strategic defence policies, shaping a safer, more stable Africa.

“We must seek to muster our relevance by deepening our understanding of global security dynamics and fostering collaborative approaches that will enable us to deliver invaluable contributions to the PSC,” he said.

Brig.-Gen. Abu Conteh, chairman of PSC, said the induction was timely, taking cognisance of the evolving security threats from armed conflicts, terrorism, cyber warfare and transnational crime on the continent.

Mr Conteh explained that the threats were exacerbated by worsening climate change, which continued to test the continent’s resilience and coordination.

“It is, therefore, timely and necessary that we revisit, understand and reaffirm the core mandate and working methods of the MSC, which serves as the military advisory body to repel such security threats.

“The MSC function is not generally technical but rather strategic and deeply rooted in the values of African solidarity and ownership of these processes.

“Let us use this opportunity to share experiences from our respective sub-regions, build strong synergy and collectively elevate the role and visibility of the MSC within the African Peace and Security framework,” he said.

(NAN)