The security challenges facing the African continent in the 21st century are too much for any nation to tackle on its own, which makes regional cooperation and continental unity imperative for the future.
That was the message Africa’s top military leaders heard repeatedly during the 2025 Africa Chiefs of Defense (ACHOD) summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, at the end of May. The conference drew representatives from 36 African nations along with their international partners for several days of frank discussions and face-to-face interactions.
Attendees included leaders from Mali, Niger and Somalia — three nations that are actively engaged in fighting terrorist groups on their own soil.
From terrorism to drug and human trafficking, from illegal fishing to wildlife poaching, Africa’s security challenges cross porous borders, exploit government security gaps and drive conflicts across regions. By addressing these issues, African security forces can create an environment for the continent to thrive, attendees said.
LIBBY WEILER/U.S. AFRICA COMMAND
“This is a call to action,” Maj. Gen. Molefi Seikano, director of general support services for the Botswana Defence Force, told ADF in an interview. “Terror is a global threat. It doesn’t have any traditional battlefield.”
Maj. Gen. Ramanka Mokoloba, chief of logistics command and support services of the Lesotho Defense Force, echoed the conference’s theme.
“No country can do it alone,” he told ADF. “That’s why we have to have cooperation. When you have peace and security, it means the rest (of society) can prosper.”
Kenyan President William Ruto drove home that point when he addressed the gathered leaders. With 60% of its population under the age of 25, Africa can play a vital global role in the coming decades if it can overcome the hurdles that prevent it from making the most of human and natural resources, he said.
“Africa stands at a pivotal moment, poised to harness its vast potential and shape a prosperous future,” Ruto said. “However, we must also all confront the persistent challenges that impede our future.”
Those challenges demand that African countries reimagine their approach to security cooperation.
“Security goes beyond the borders of any country,” Ruto said. “The reality is that our safety is interconnected. When one country or region falters, the ripple effect transcends borders, impacting livelihoods, economies and development prospects.”
Kenyans know the reality of Ruto’s statement firsthand, especially in northeastern counties where residents have been repeatedly subjected to attacks by al-Shabaab fighters who cross the border from Somalia.
LIBBY WEILER/U.S. AFRICA COMMAND
Some of those attacks have been meant to deter the Kenya Defense Forces from participating in multinational peacekeeping operations in Somalia. Strengthening partnerships among the continent’s defense institutions will help deepen Africa’s overall unity, Ruto said.
For Maj. Gen. Manantsoa Deramasinjaka, chief of general staff for Madagascar, the personal connections made at ACHOD were an important reason to join his fellow chiefs of defense in Nairobi.
“The best thing is the exchange with our partners,” he said through an interpreter. “As we are an island, mitigating threats with our partners is important because we don’t have that much capability.”
As with many African nations, Madagascar is confronting threats to its maritime security and working with other island nations, including Mauritius and Seychelles, to monitor vast sections of the western Indian Ocean that they share.
Armed Forces of Liberia Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Davidson Forleh stressed the role that cross-border cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone has played in securing Liberia’s coastal waters and confronting piracy and illegal fishing in the western Gulf of Guinea.
Forleh said personal connections that arise from gatherings like ACHOD make that kind of collaboration run smoothly.
“It is very important that we rekindle the relationships between countries,” Forleh said. “Africans have to work closely together to strengthen their security.”