ECOWAS calls for modernisation of islamic schools to curb terrorism in West Africa
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged member states to modernise traditional Islamic schools as part of efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism in the region.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, made the call on Thursday in Abuja during the West African Islamic Conference on Security and Governance.
Speaking at the event, Touray said modernising and protecting traditional Qur’anic schools, along with their teachers and students, would help eliminate street begging, child abuse, and the vulnerability of children to radicalisation and recruitment by extremist groups.
“The situation of traditional Qur’anic schools is the focus of our preventive action against radicalisation and violent extremism in this conference,” he said.
“We need to improve and modernise this school system and convert them into conducive and formalised centres of learning and economic empowerment.”
Touray explained that millions of young people across the region attend such schools, which are often neglected and left informal, exposing them and their teachers to manipulation by criminal and terrorist organisations.
He warned that terrorism and violent extremism had deeply rooted themselves in the sub-region and called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to prevent radicalisation and address insecurity wherever it occurs.
“Terrorism and violent extremism have exerted a huge toll on the socio-economic wellbeing of West Africa and the Sahel, which have become the frontline of the global fight against terrorism,” he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference, themed “The Role of Islamic Organisations in Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in West Africa and the Sahel,” gathered scholars, policymakers, and security experts to discuss the role of faith-based institutions in promoting peace.
