ECOWAS, AU, Islamic Leaders Unite To Reform Almajiri Education, Counter Violent Extremism
As violent extremism continues to threaten the stability of West Africa, leaders across the region are adopting a new strategy, one that focuses on education, values, and community empowerment rather than force.
Over 200 delegates from 12 ECOWAS member states, alongside representatives from the United Nations, UNESCO, UNICEF, and INTERPOL, converged in Abuja for the First West African Islamic Conference on Security and Governance.
The three-day event, jointly organised by the ECOWAS Commission and Jam’iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijjaniyya, brought together policymakers, clerics, and development partners in a unified call for peace, reform, and moral reorientation.
Speakers at the conference unanimously agreed that protecting schools, empowering young people, and fostering interfaith harmony remain vital to defeating violent extremism and sustaining peace across the region.
In his closing address, ECOWAS Commission President, Dr Omar Touray, advocated for non-kinetic strategies to tackle terrorism.
He emphasised strengthening Islamic and local institutions that shape social values and influence community behaviour. Dr Touray further called for a transformation of traditional Qur’anic schools into modern centres of learning, innovation, and economic empowerment.
He applauded reforms already underway, such as Nigeria’s National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education and Ghana’s initiative to unify the Makaranta curriculum, steps he said would help bridge the gap between religious and formal education.
Co-chaired by the African Union’s High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the conference culminated in a communiqué urging the integration of Islamic and secular education, youth empowerment, and interfaith collaboration to counter radical ideologies.
Participants departed with a renewed sense of mission, to build a West Africa grounded in peace, knowledge, and moral strength.
Follow the Savinews Africa channel on WhatsApp: [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VawgaEL5vKA9Y5XTFg0n]
