Nigeria's NCTC Receives AU Accreditation for Excellence

The African Union has officially accredited Nigeria's National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) as an African regional centre of excellence in counter-terrorism. This announcement was made on October 27, 2026, by Dr Idriss Mounir Lallali, acting director of the African Union Counter Terrorism Centre, during the African Lessons Learned Forum in Abuja.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had previously declared the NCTC a Regional Centre of Excellence for West Africa and the Sahel at a high-level meeting in April 2024. The accreditation aligns with the Abuja Declaration's vision to position the NCTC as a hub for intelligence sharing and operational coordination in combating terrorism.

The designation expands NCTC's responsibilities to support African Union Member States through training, threat analysis, and technical assistance. The accreditation process began with a Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2025 and included a technical assessment mission in December 2025.

The successful completion of the accreditation reflects the NCTC's institutional development and collaboration with strategic partners.