President Bola Tinubu will on Sunday, October 12, depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, to attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting, which will focus on addressing the worsening security situation in West Africa.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the meeting will commence on October 14 and will gather Heads of State, senior intelligence and military officials from African nations, as well as representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations.

The Aqaba Process Meeting, launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, is co-chaired by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Italian Government. It serves as a global counter-terrorism platform aimed at tackling the complex and evolving security threats facing various regions, with this session dedicated to West Africa.

The discussions will centre on the expansion of terrorist networks across the subregion, the growing link between organised crime and terrorism, and the overlap between land-based terrorism in the Sahel and maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Participants will exchange intelligence assessments, strengthen partnerships, and design joint strategies to address both land and maritime threats. The meeting will also explore ways to combat online radicalisation and dismantle digital networks that enable terrorist propaganda and recruitment.

In addition to participating in the plenary sessions, President Tinubu is expected to hold bilateral talks with other leaders to discuss collective strategies for tackling regional insecurity.

The President will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed, and other senior government officials.