THEME:
• CONSOLIDATING COLLECTIVE EFFORTS FOR REGIONAL PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
DATE:
• Saturday May 14, 2016
VENUE:
• Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Nigeria
OBJECTIVES:
The Regional Security Summit holding in Abuja today, is the second
edition of a gathering that first held in Paris, France, on May 17,
2014, with the following objectives:
• Strengthen Cooperation between the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and Benin Republic
• Combat Boko Haram
• Establish a Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU)
• Ensure the safe release of the Chibok Girls
Since the 1st Edition held in Paris, there have been four (4)
Ministerial Meetings, one each in Paris, London, Washington, DC, and
Abuja, to facilitate the realisation of the Objectives.
The Abuja Summit has the following Objectives:
• Regional Member Countries will report on gains and challenges so far
in combating Boko Haram, as well as conduct an honest appraisal of
successes and failures
• Develop an Action Plan for the Basic
Infrastructural Development of the Areas worst affected by the War on
Terror. The Reconstruction will focus on Medical Centers, Schools, Roads
and Water Supply Schemes
• Facilitate the reunion of more than 6,000 orphans in various IDP Centers with their biological families
• Enhance the operations of the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit
(RIFU) by improving cooperation and intelligence sharing between the
countries of the region and the Strategic Partners
• Seek the
cooperation of Development Partners for the Implementation of the 916
million Euro Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan
• Ensure implementation of the Support Implementation Agreement (SIA)
signed between the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and the African
Union Commission (AUC), as well as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
signed between the AUC, LCBC and Troop Contributing Countries, on
January 29, 2016
• Rededicate efforts towards the continuing search for the Chibok Girls.
WHO WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE ABUJA SUMMIT?
• Heads of State from Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Central African
Republic, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria,
Senegal and Togo
• Ministers from the United States, United Kingdom, and the Peoples Republic of China
• Representatives of the United Nations, African Union Commission, Gulf
of Guinea Commission, European Union Commission, ECOWAS, Economic
Community of Central African States, Organisation Islamic Conference,
Inter-Regional Coordination Center of the Gulf of Guinea Commission,
Lake Chad Basin Commission, World Bank, IMF, French Agency for
International Development, African Development Bank, Islamic Development
Bank, Cooperation In International Waters in Africa.
PROGRESS MADE SINCE 1ST SUMMIT:
• Reactivation of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) with 8,500
officers and men from Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Benin, with
headquarters in Ndjamena, Chad
• Establishment of the
Inter-Regional Coordination Center, based in Yaounde, Cameroon, under
the aegis of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, to coordinate and
disseminate intelligence and security information to all member states
• Establishment of the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU) in Abuja, to enable pooling of intelligence resources.
• Establishment of Special Military Units by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, to prosecute the War on Terror
• Admission of Benin Republic to the group, to allow it support the efforts of its neighbours
• Development of an Action Plan by the Lake Chad Basin Commission, for
the Infrastructural Development of Nigerian Communities worst affected
by the War on Terror, with a view to enabling the speedy and safe return
of Displaced Persons to their homes.
• Hosting, in December
2015, of the COP 21 side event, during which the Lake Chad Development
and Climate Resilience Action Plan (LCDCRAP), a systematic development
plan for the Lake Region, was presented to donor countries and
organisations, with a view to raising 916 million Euros.
See more after the summit...