The Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, received a high-level delegation of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) led by the Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council for June 2026, H.E. Ambassador Nasir Aminu, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the African Union, and the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the African Union, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja on Tuesday 30th June, 2026. The visit followed the conclusion of the Third Annual Joint Consultative Meeting between the AU Peace and Security Council and the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council held in Abuja.
Welcoming the delegation, Ambassador Enikanolaiye expressed appreciation for their congratulatory messages on his appointment as Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to advancing the African Union’s objectives of peace, security, democracy, good governance and regional integration. The Minister of State described the African Union Peace and Security Council as one of the continent’s most important institutions for conflict prevention, peacebuilding and political governance, noting that Nigeria attaches the highest priority to the work of the Council. He commended the growing institutional collaboration between the AU Peace and Security Council and ECOWAS, observing that regular consultations have become an effective platform for strengthening coordination among continental and regional mechanisms in addressing Africa’s evolving security challenges. Ambassador Enikanolaiye noted that Nigeria has consistently strengthened its diplomatic engagement with the African Union, particularly through its Mission in Addis Ababa, and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote greater coherence between the African Union, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and Regional Mechanisms.
Addressing the security situation across the continent, the Honourable Minister of State observed that Africa continues to face increasingly complex threats, including terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime, unconstitutional changes of government and humanitarian crises. He stressed the need for African institutions to deepen cooperation, strengthen governance frameworks and develop more effective mechanisms for conflict prevention and sustainable peacebuilding.
The Minister also expressed Nigeria’s deep concern over the recent xenophobic attacks against African nationals in South Africa, particularly Nigerians. He described the attacks as unacceptable and contrary to the ideals of African unity, solidarity and integration upon which the African Union was founded. He informed the delegation that, under the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Federal Government had undertaken the evacuation of affected Nigerian nationals from South Africa through government-funded repatriation flights to ensure their safe return home. He emphasised that Africans must feel safe anywhere on the continent and urged the African Union to place the issue prominently on its peace and security agenda. The Honourable Minister of State further underscored the importance of strengthening continental efforts towards the implementation of the African Union’s vision of free movement of persons and deeper regional integration, while encouraging Member States to address migration challenges through inclusive governance, economic development and expanded opportunities for their citizens.
On the financing of African peace operations, Ambassador Enikanolaiye reiterated Nigeria’s long-standing position that Africa must develop sustainable, predictable and innovative financing mechanisms to support its peace and security architecture. He observed that excessive dependence on external funding undermines African ownership of peace support operations and called for stronger implementation of African-led financing initiatives. Drawing attention to the experience of ECOWAS, the Minister highlighted the Community Levy as a successful model of sustainable regional financing and suggested that similar approaches could be adapted at the continental level to strengthen the operational capacity of the African Union Peace and Security Council. He also reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for the effective implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023) on financing African Union-led peace support operations while emphasising that African countries must continue to increase their own financial contributions towards peace and security initiatives.
Earlier, Ambassador Nasir Aminu informed the Honourable Minister of State for Foreign Affairs that the delegation had concluded the Third Annual Joint Consultative Meeting between the African Union Peace and Security Council and ECOWAS, during which participants reviewed emerging security threats across Africa, examined ongoing peace initiatives, and explored practical measures to strengthen cooperation between continental and regional institutions. He noted that discussions also focused on sustainable financing for peace support operations and implementation of Resolution 2719.
Speaking on behalf of the African Union Commission, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, commended Nigeria’s consistent leadership in promoting peace, stability and regional integration across Africa. He praised Nigeria’s active engagement within the Peace and Security Council and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to working closely with Member States, ECOWAS and other Regional Economic Communities to address the continent’s growing security challenges. The Commissioner also underscored the importance of strengthening African ownership of peace operations through increased domestic financing, enhanced institutional coordination and stronger political commitment by Member States. He welcomed Nigeria’s continued leadership and support for the African Union’s efforts towards conflict prevention, democratic governance and the implementation of the AU Agenda on Silencing the Guns.
Both sides endorsed their shared commitment to advancing peace, security, democratic governance and sustainable development across Africa through closer collaboration between the African Union, ECOWAS and Member States. They also agreed to sustain regular consultations to strengthen collective responses to emerging security challenges confronting the continent.
Signed:
Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, anipr
Spokesperson
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja
Wednesday, 1 July 2026
