Nigeria leads regional push for stronger military coordination

By Isaac Aregbesola

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has concluded a four-day Capacity Building and Regional Doctrine Workshop aimed at harmonising operational concepts and strengthening joint preparedness across West African Armed Forces.

This is contained in a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, on Friday in Abuja.

Organised by the Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre (JDWC), the workshop brought together military personnel from Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

It also brought together ECOWAS representatives and international resource persons from the British Defence Staff (West Africa).

In his remarks, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said the workshop was driven by the need to close doctrinal gaps and prepare forces for evolving security challenges, including asymmetric threats, transnational crimes, and multi-domain operations.

Oluyede, who was represented by the Chief of Defence Policy and Plans, AVM Francis Edosa, said the establishment of the JDWC was a strategic step to institutionalise doctrine development.

According to him, it serves as the intellectual foundation of the military operations and to enhance operational effectiveness across the services.

He also emphasised the importance of regional collaboration, noting that shared doctrinal frameworks are critical to boosting interoperability and collective security.

Oluyede thanked the ECOWAS team and regional partners for their active participation, and acknowledged the British Defence Staff for providing technical support and resource personnel.

Earlier, the Director-General of the centre, Maj.-Gen. Anede Edet, explained that the workshop was conducted in two phases which focused on Nigerian personnel and regional participants, with the goal of building a high-level tri-service cadre of doctrine writers, editors, and validators.

Edet added that the programme would strengthen jointness in operations, and enhance multi-agency cooperation.

He added that it would also ensure that lessons learned were translated into practical doctrinal publications guiding strategy, policy, and operational concepts.

According to him, the successful conclusion of the workshop marks a significant milestone in DHQ’s efforts to deepen regional partnerships, improve operational readiness.

He said it would also help position West African forces to effectively respond to complex security threats.

(NAN)