The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, has reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to supporting the modernisation of the Qur’anic education system as part of a comprehensive strategy to counter terrorism, violent extremism, and poverty linked to the Almajiri system.
Describing terrorism and violent extremism as “threats to the sub-region’s peace and development,” Touray urged Islamic scholars to play a stronger role in preventing radicalisation and promoting peace across West Africa.
He made the call at the closing ceremony of the first West African Islamic Conference on Security and Governance, organised by the ECOWAS Commission in partnership with Jam’iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijaniyya, held in Abuja from November 4 to 6, 2025.
Themed “The Role of Islamic Organizations in Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in West Africa and the Sahel,” the conference brought together Islamic bodies, government officials, traditional and religious leaders, scholars, policymakers, youth representatives, and development partners to design practical responses to security and governance challenges in the region.
Touray highlighted the critical role of traditional Qur’anic schools—commonly called Tsangaya, Makaranta, or Daara—in shaping millions of young minds and reducing susceptibility to extremist recruitment.
“In a region with a youthful population, it is important to pay attention to the situation of these youths and support them to channel their energies for positive activities,” he said.
“We must modernise and reform these schools to become centers of learning and economic empowerment. These schools accommodate millions of young people in the region, but they are not given the attention they require. The situation makes both the teachers and their students vulnerable to recruitment by criminal organizations, including terrorist groups. We cannot therefore ignore these important institutions and democracies.”
Touray commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the National Commission for Almajiri and Arab School Children Education, which seeks to provide quality religious and formal education. He also applauded Ghana and Senegal for implementing similar initiatives to improve conditions in Qur’anic schools.
“The goal is to better supervise and calibrate children, eradicate forced begging, and support educational structures that need to be established,” he added.
The ECOWAS chief assured that the organisation, in collaboration with the United Nations and other partners, would support the implementation of projects to modernise traditional Qur’anic schools across the region.
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“Together with the UN and other stakeholders, we will, inshallah, work with governments and other stakeholders to build on the outcome of this conference by implementing joint projects for the modernisation of the traditional Quranic schools. Protecting these schools, their students and teachers, will end the phenomena of street begging, child abuse, and the vulnerability of the Quranic school goers to radicalization and recruitment by extremism and terrorist groups,” Touray said.
He stressed the need for unified regional efforts to secure West Africa and the Sahel, restore stability, and reverse negative socio-economic trends caused by insecurity.
“In the last decade, terrorism and violence have exerted a huge toll on the socio-economic well-being of our people. West Africa and the Sahel have become the front line of the global fight against terrorism,” he said.
Citing the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, Touray observed that “Africa has emerged as the new hub of terrorist activities,” noting that the Sahel region has experienced a “dramatic increase in terrorist operations.”
Reiterating ECOWAS’s commitment to a comprehensive strategy, Touray said: “For us in ECOWAS, we have emphasised the application of non-kinetic and kinetic strategies in tackling the menace.
“Our regional action plan against terrorism outlines a series of initiatives in this regard. This plan provides rules for multiple access from both states and non-state institutions. Therefore, this conference, which examines the role of Islamic organizations in countering terrorism and violent extremism, fits squarely within the regional non-kinetic initiatives. We must therefore work both to prevent extremism and tackle terrorism wherever it occurs.”
