The African Union, through the African Union Counter Terrorism Centre (AUCTC)
@AUCTCentre, in collaboration with Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)
@nctconsa and the
@nctconsa, organised a Training of Trainers (ToT) Regional Technical Training on Detecting and Disrupting Terrorists’ Exploitation and Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Emerging Technologies in West Africa and the Sahel in Abuja, Nigeria, from 13 to 15 October 2026.
The training aimed to equip technical, operational and field-level officers with the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques required to effectively detect, prevent and disrupt terrorists’ exploitation of ICTs and emerging technologies. More than 60 experts from 17 African Union Member States across West Africa and the Sahel participated in the training. Participants represented defence and security forces, law enforcement agencies, financial intelligence centres, intelligence agencies, national counter-terrorism centres and cybersecurity agencies. Representatives of international, continental and regional organisations also attended the training.
In his keynote address, the National Coordinator of Nigeria’s NCTC, Major General Adamu Garba Laka, speaking on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, emphasised that terrorist groups are increasingly exploiting digital platforms and emerging technologies to disseminate harmful content, recruit members, raise funds and coordinate their activities. He underscored the need for countries to strengthen their capacities to identify, anticipate and prevent these threats before they materialise.
The regional technical training forms part of the AUCTC Continental Cybersecurity Capability Programme (A3CP), which aims to strengthen national and regional capacities to prevent, detect, disrupt, defend against and respond to terrorists’ exploitation of cyberspace across Africa.
A key focus of the programme is to develop a network of skilled trainers who will return to their respective countries to transfer the knowledge and skills acquired to other relevant personnel. This approach is expected to promote sustainable capacity-building, strengthen regional cooperation and generate a lasting impact across West Africa and the Sahel.