Commander Kenya Army Lieutenant General Peter Njiru is among several Africa Army Chiefs attending the premier India-Africa Army Chiefs Conclave in Pune, India. The Conclave focuses on strengthening defence ties and building institutionalised frameworks for better military-to-military cooperation between India and African countries.
In his key note address in the Conclave, India Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande said India and Africa face common security threats which include terrorism and violent extremism; challenges that require collaboration in defeating them.
“We face common threats of terrorism and violent extremism that have the potential to adversely affect our development goals. Strengthening our cooperation and mutual capabilities in combating the emerging threats to defence and security is key,” said General Pande.
General Pande noted that the African armies have wealth of experience and knowledge in carrying our various operations given the challenging environments they operate in thus they can offer valuable insights into the tactics, techniques and procedures.
Lieutenant General Njiru in his speech thanked India for offering training opportunities to the African militaries in its military institutions through defence cooperation. He stated that the training has been key in sharing knowledge and skills to counter the defence and security challenges of the 21st century.
“Significant number of military officers from African countries are and have been undergoing training courses in India at various levels. This helps us to harness military diplomacy which in return helps to unlock potentials and information deficiency,” said Lieutenant General Njiru.
Lieutenant General Njiru further urged the Conclave participants to continue cooperating on defence and security matters which is critical in securing their respective shared interests, achieve sustained national development and promote growth in all sectors of the economy.
The training programmes that Africa and India cooperate in cover a wide range of areas, including counter-insurgency operations, peacekeeping, maritime security and specialised training in new domains such as cyber warfare and drone operations.
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