The African Union has accredited Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) as a Regional Centre of Excellence in Counter-Terrorism for West Africa and the Sahel, giving it an expanded mandate to support member states against terrorism and violent extremism.
The accreditation, announced on October 27th by the Acting Director of the African Union Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUCTC), Dr Idriss Mounir Lallali, at the conclusion of the African Lessons Learned Forum in Abuja, fulfils President Bola Tinubu’s vision to position the NCTC as a regional hub for intelligence sharing, operational coordination, specialised training and capacity building.
The recognition followed a rigorous assessment of the NCTC’s institutional capacity, governance, training programmes, analytical capabilities, coordination mechanisms and adherence to human rights and the rule of law. The process began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the AU and the NCTC in September 2025, followed by a technical assessment mission in Abuja in December 2025 that produced an accreditation roadmap.
Since then, the NCTC has strengthened its governance structures, developed training curricula and operational procedures, improved its analytical and coordination functions, and reinforced its commitment to human rights and the rule of law. The accreditation will initially run for three years, subject to renewal, with formal terms to be conveyed to the Nigerian government through a Note Verbale.
The accreditation gives the NCTC an expanded regional mandate to provide specialised training, joint threat analysis, research, technical assistance, exchanges of lessons learned and other forms of counter-terrorism support to AU member states, particularly those in West Africa and the Sahel. The centre, which was upgraded to the West African Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre in April 2024, is now positioned to serve as an intelligence coordinating centre in unified counter-terrorism efforts.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, represented by NCTC National Coordinator Major General Adamu Garba Laka, described the accreditation as both recognition of Nigeria’s progress and a responsibility to contribute more substantially to Africa’s collective security. The move comes as terrorist groups including ISWAP, Boko Haram and JNIM expand their activities through digital technologies, making regional cooperation and institutional capacity building critical to combating insecurity.
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