Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for stronger regional defence cooperation and indigenous defence manufacturing to address growing security threats and reduce constraints in accessing military equipment, critical technologies and capabilities.

The President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, said the changing geopolitical environment and increasingly complex security challenges made it necessary for West African countries to build resilience, self-reliance and indigenous defence capabilities.

Diop made the call while delivering a keynote address at the Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX), which opened in Lagos on October 26 and runs until October 30.

He described the exhibition as a timely demonstration of Nigeria’s longstanding leadership in advancing regional peace, security and integration, while commending President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the ECOWAS regional peace and security agenda.

Tinubu was represented at the opening ceremony by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.

Diop identified terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime, maritime insecurity and cyber threats among the security challenges confronting African countries, stressing the importance of developing local defence capabilities to respond to them.

IN another development, the Nigerian Navy yesterday called for stronger cooperation among maritime security agencies, improved intelligence-sharing and the integration of defence systems to combat piracy, illegal fishing, trafficking and other security threats in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Navy’s representative at the 2026 Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX), Commodore Isa Ahmed, made the call during a panel discussion in Lagos, where he presented a paper titled, “Interoperability at Sea: Strengthening Maritime Security Through Systems, Standards and Integration.”

Ahmed said effective maritime security depended not only on acquiring sophisticated equipment but also on the ability of naval forces, government agencies and regional institutions to work together through compatible systems, common operational standards and coordinated responses.

ECOWAS has also called for greater investment in border communities, cross-border infrastructure and local conflict-resolution mechanisms, warning that a security-focused approach alone cannot guarantee lasting peace along African borders.

The regional bloc said that cultural ties, traditional mediation systems, and economic cooperation among border populations were important for preventing local conflicts and strengthening regional integration.

The position was highlighted at the third Abidjan Border Forum, held in Côte d’Ivoire under the theme, “Border Communities: Culture, Integration and Security”.

The forum observed that linguistic, historical and cultural connections among populations living across national boundaries remained important factors for stability, while traditional mediation mechanisms and local knowledge should be given greater recognition in preventing conflicts at the grassroots level.

On security, participants maintained that the threats of terrorism and illicit trafficking required more than military and law-enforcement responses, stressing the need for stronger cooperation among neighbouring countries, socioeconomic development and the active involvement of local populations.