From DICON
Day 2 keynotes: US Africa Command, the UK and Italy
The first day of the Strategic Conference heard from US Africa Command, the UK Ministry of Defence and Italy's Chief of Defence, and closed on security in the Gulf of Guinea.
AFRIDEX's Strategic Conference opened on Tuesday 27 October. After a welcome from Christopher Hudson, President of dmg events, the opening keynote was given by General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, Commander of United States Africa Command.
Major General John Clark, Commander of the Integrated Global Defence Network at the UK Ministry of Defence, said security and economic prosperity are connected. As The Guardian reported, he called for defence cooperation to extend into industrial partnerships that promote trade, investment and technology transfer, strengthen local supply chains, develop technical skills and create quality jobs.
Italy's Chief of Defence, General Luciano Portolano, the only European keynote speaker, told the conference that Europe's security and Africa's security are interdependent, the Italian Defence Staff reported. He described Nigeria as a natural and indispensable partner, and said Africa's security must have an African lead: African solutions to African problems.
The day closed with a panel on multinational maritime task forces in the Gulf of Guinea, with Ambassador Obinna C. Agbugba of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, Commodore M.S. Shettima, Commander of the Combined Maritime Task Force Gulf of Guinea, and Professor Thomas Mandrup of Stellenbosch University and the Royal Danish Defence College.
On the sidelines, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, met General Anderson, General Portolano and delegations from Poland, Guinea-Bissau, Eswatini and the United Arab Emirates, according to a Defence Headquarters statement.
Read the full report on Italian Defence Staff (opens in a new tab)
