Nigeria Pushes African-Led Security Cooperation at Tunis Air Chiefs’ Symposium
Oru Leonard
The Nigerian Air Force has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening African-led security cooperation and collective responses to terrorism, insurgency and other emerging threats across the continent.
This was disclosed in a statement following the participation of the Chief of the Air Staff, Sunday Kelvin Aneke, at the 2026 African Air Chiefs’ Symposium held in Tunis from May 11 to 15, 2026.
The symposium, organised under the auspices of the Association of African Air Forces, brought together air force chiefs, senior military officers and strategic partners from across Africa to deepen collaboration in airpower development, interoperability and coordinated security operations.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Air Marshal Aneke said the symposium’s theme, “Operationalizing the Association of African Air Forces: A New Era of Shared Responsibility,” underscored the urgent need for African countries to jointly develop sustainable solutions to evolving security threats.
According to him, terrorism, insurgency, transnational organised crime and humanitarian crises continue to threaten peace and stability across Africa, making stronger partnerships, intelligence sharing and coordinated military operations essential.
“No single nation can effectively confront today’s complex security threats alone. Our collective strength lies in our ability to work together, share capabilities and build a united front against forces that threaten the peace and prosperity of our continent,” the Air Chief stated.
Aneke noted that the symposium marked another major step toward strengthening the operationalisation of the Association of African Air Forces through active collaboration among member states.
He highlighted the successful conduct of the Table-Top Exercise during the 2025 symposium in Zambia as a key milestone toward the planned Field Training Exercise scheduled to hold in Kenya in February 2027.
The Chief of the Air Staff said such exercises are critical to improving interoperability, operational readiness and coordinated responses to security and humanitarian challenges across Africa.
The symposium also featured strategic presentations and engagements focused on enhancing the responsiveness and effectiveness of African air forces in tackling contemporary threats.
On the sidelines of the event, the Nigerian Air Force chief held bilateral and multilateral meetings with partner air forces and international stakeholders to strengthen cooperation in training, intelligence sharing, joint exercises and counter-terrorism operations.
The engagements, according to the statement, are expected to support ongoing counter-insurgency efforts and promote regional stability across the continent.
At the closing ceremony, Air Marshal Aneke was unanimously re-elected as Chairman of the Association of African Air Forces for another two-year term, reflecting what participants described as confidence in his leadership and strategic direction for the organisation.
In his closing remarks, the Air Chief stressed the importance of political support, intelligence sharing, interoperability, air mobility, logistics cooperation and indigenous capacity development in strengthening operational readiness and sustaining long-term security efforts in Africa.
He said the symposium reinforced the determination of African nations to pursue lasting peace, security and prosperity through partnership, innovation and collective action.
