Nigeria and the United States have explored opportunities to expand defence cooperation with greater emphasis on technology, cybersecurity and regional security during a meeting between the Ministry of Defence and former Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), General William E. Ward (Rtd), in Abuja.
According to an official statement signed by the Ministry of Defence Public Relations Officer, Captain Moses Yare, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), OFR, received the former AFRICOM commander through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, who represented him at the meeting held at Ship House.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister, Pheelangwah described General Ward as a distinguished military leader whose tenure as the inaugural Commander of AFRICOM helped shape contemporary security cooperation across Africa.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening its strategic defence partnership with the United States, highlighting ongoing collaboration in military training, intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations, maritime security, logistics and professional military education.
The Permanent Secretary also stressed the importance of embracing innovation, emerging technologies and enhanced capacity building to address evolving security threats in an increasingly complex global defence environment.
The meeting provided both sides with an opportunity to discuss ways of expanding bilateral cooperation, with particular focus on technology-driven defence planning, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the preparation of future military leaders for multi-domain operations.
Participants also exchanged views on lessons for African militaries, the importance of stronger strategic partnerships and the need for sustained collaboration in promoting regional and global security.
In his remarks, General Ward commended General Christopher Gwabin Musa for his leadership, both as Chief of Defence Staff and now as Minister of Defence.
He also emphasised the need to deepen economic cooperation between Nigeria and the United States while addressing prevailing security challenges, noting that cybersecurity has become an increasingly important component of modern defence architecture.
The meeting underscored the longstanding defence relationship between Nigeria and the United States and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in addressing emerging security challenges through innovation, strategic partnership and shared expertise.
