The African Union (AU) has accredited Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) as a Regional Centre of Excellence in Counter Terrorism, expanding its role in combating terrorism across West Africa and the Sahel.
The accreditation was announced on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, by the Acting Director of the African Union Counter Terrorism Centre (AUCTC), Dr Idriss Mounir Lallali, at the close of the African Lessons Learned Forum in Abuja.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 28, NCTC spokesman Abu Michael said the decision followed an assessment of the centre’s governance, training, analytical capacity, coordination systems and adherence to human rights and the rule of law.
The designation empowers the centre to support African Union member states through specialised training, joint threat analysis, research, technical assistance and operational knowledge sharing.
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The move advances President Bola Tinubu’s plan to make Nigeria a regional counter-terrorism hub, an ambition outlined at the High-Level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting in Abuja in April 2024 and reflected in the Abuja Declaration.
The accreditation process advanced with a memorandum of understanding between the AU and NCTC in September 2025, followed by a technical assessment in Abuja in December that year.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, represented by NCTC National Coordinator Major General Adamu Garba Laka, described the recognition as both an endorsement of Nigeria’s progress and a greater responsibility for continental security.
He credited Tinubu’s leadership and investment in the security architecture, and pledged continued government support through adequate staffing, funding and institutional partnerships.
The accreditation runs for an initial three years, subject to renewal, and strengthens Nigeria’s capacity to support regional cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.