President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Sunday, October 12, depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, to participate in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting, which will focus on tackling the security crisis in West Africa.

The high-level meeting, scheduled to begin on October 14, will bring together Heads of State and Government, senior intelligence and military officials from African countries, as well as representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. The discussions will centre on the evolving security challenges in the subregion.

Launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Aqaba Process is a counter-terrorism initiative co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Government. It aims to strengthen global and regional cooperation in combating terrorism and violent extremism.

This year’s session will recognise the complex security threats confronting West Africa, including the expansion of terrorist networks, the growing link between organised crime and terrorism, and the increasing overlap between land-based terrorism in the Sahel and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Participants will exchange assessments of the current security situation and explore collaborative strategies to address cross-border challenges. They will also deliberate on ways to counter the terror threat on land and at sea, combat online radicalisation, and disrupt digital networks used for terrorist propaganda and recruitment.

President Tinubu is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders on the sidelines of the event to deepen partnerships aimed at strengthening security and stability across the subregion.

Accompanying the President are the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and other senior government officials.