President Bola Tinubu will on Sunday depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, to participate in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting, a high-level global forum convened to address the growing security threats confronting West Africa.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the meeting is scheduled to commence on October 14 and will bring together Heads of State and Government, senior intelligence and defence officials from African nations, as well as representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations.
Discussions will focus on the worsening security situation in the West African subregion, with particular emphasis on counter-terrorism, intelligence cooperation, and maritime security.
Launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Aqaba Process is a strategic counter-terrorism initiative co–chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Government.
It serves as a platform for fostering collaboration and information sharing among countries affected by terrorism and transnational organised crime.
The 2025 edition of the meeting will assess the expanding terrorist networks in the Sahel region, the crime–terror nexus, and the intersection between land-based terrorism and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Participants are also expected to deliberate on practical measures for curbing online radicalisation, disrupting digital propaganda networks, and preventing terrorist recruitment through cyberspace.
President Tinubu will also hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders on the sidelines of the summit to explore avenues for strengthening security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and sustainable peacebuilding initiatives across the subregion.
The President will be accompanied on the trip by top government officials, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu–Ojukwu; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, among others.
The Aqaba Process meeting is expected to conclude with a joint communiqué outlining coordinated strategies and renewed commitments from participating countries to combat terrorism and transnational crimes threatening stability in Africa and beyond.
