The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have called for an urgent overhaul of Qur’anic education across West Africa as part of efforts to curb rising terrorism and violent extremism in the region.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the closing ceremony of the West African Islamic Conference on Security and Governance, ECOWAS President, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, warned that the 2025 Global Terrorism Index shows a significant shift in global terrorism patterns, with Africa, particularly the Sahel, emerging as the epicentre of terrorist activity.
Touray noted that millions of young people are enrolled in traditional Qur’anic schools, yet these institutions have not received the attention or resources needed to function as safe, modern learning environments.
“We need to improve and modernize the Qur’anic school system and convert them into conducive and formalized centers of learning and economic empowerment,” he said.
“The present situation makes both teachers and students vulnerable to recruitment by criminal and terrorist organizations.”
He commended religious leaders across West Africa and the Sahel, from countries including Senegal, Ghana, Chad, Niger, Benin, Guinea, Morocco and Mauritania, for taking the lead in efforts to modernize Qur’anic education.
Touray added that while ECOWAS has deployed both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies through its Regional Action Plan Against Terrorism, the conference’s focus on the role of Islamic organizations in prevention and countering violent extremism aligns with the bloc’s non-military initiatives.
He stressed the need to direct the energy of the region’s vast youth population toward productive activities, noting that the conditions faced by many Qur’anic students require urgent attention.
The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, lamented that terrorism-related deaths have risen by 250 percent in the past decade.
He said discussions during the three-day conference highlighted the need for coordinated, cross-border collaboration to address the links between traditional Islamic education, youth vulnerability and insecurity.
“As we adopt the Regional Declaration on Improving Islamic Education and Countering Violent Extremism, I urge all stakeholders to remain committed,” he said.
“Let us empower Islamic organizations to promote peace, tolerance and coexistence, as guided by the Prophet Muhammad, who said: ‘None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.’”
Sanusi appealed for collective action to build “a region where every individual can live in peace, security and dignity,” and to create a safer future for children and communities across West Africa.
