President Muhammadu Buhari has said the construction of highways, railways and the creation of jobs – not military force – is the key to ending terrorism in Africa.
The President made the comment in an opinion piece published in the UK’s Financial Times on Sunday.
The piece, titled ‘Africa needs more than US military aid to defeat terror’, reflected on the state of global terrorism in light of the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan.
According to President Buhari, the threat of terrorism now “burns fiercely” in Africa.
To combat terrorism, the President said what Africa needs most from the US “is a comprehensive partnership to close the disparity between our economic and demographic growth.”
“Ultimately, Africans need not swords but ploughshares to defeat terror,” the President added.
“Yes, we require the technological and intelligence support that our armies do not possess.
“Yet the boots we need on the ground are those of constructors, not the military. Africa’s fight against terror is the world’s fight.
“We will defeat them one highway, one rail link — and one job — at a time.”
