Presidents Akufo-Addo, Mbasogo, lay foundation stone for CISSA headquarters
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday joined the President of Equatorial Guinea, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the headquarters of the African Union’s Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA).
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The CISSA, made up of 51 African Union (AU) member states, was established on August 2004 in Abuja, Nigeria, and its creation was necessitated by the need to share information on security threats confronting the continent.
At the ceremony which took place on the sidelines of the 28th Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Governments of the African Union, President Mbasogo, who has offered to bear the cost of construction estimated at US$20 million, said the formation of the CISSA was to address the multiple security challenges confronting the continent.
He said it was also to serve as a mechanism for dialogue, analysis and adoption of common strategy among security agencies.
Security threats
President Mbasogo said in the last few years, the continent had been plagued by a number of security threats evident in wars and terrorism, adding that it was for that reason that countries on the continent decided to combine their strength and resources to fight those security threats.
“For CISSA to play its crucial role regarding security and threat prevention, it is necessary for it to have the structure that would enable it to fight the security threats that confront Africa.”
He said the threats confronting the continent had become transnational and, therefore, required borderless cooperation and collaboration among and between intelligence and security services on the continent.
Background
The CISSA was established to provide the AU Commission and its member states with timely and insightful intelligence which would assist them in making informed decisions.
It is also to provide the platform where members exchange intelligence, expertise and experiences while dealing with common threats that confront the continent.
The Ethiopian government provided land for the project which is estimated at USD81 million.