ABUJA: Nigeria has been chosen to host the Third Edition of the Forum of African Defence and War Colleges’ Commandants (FADWCC) in 2026. Navy Capt. Muhammed Tukur, Public Relations Officer of the National Defence College (NDC), announced that the hosting right was granted by Col.-Maj. Lahcen El-Hajjami, Director of the Royal College of Higher Military Studies (CREMS), Morocco, during the recently concluded second edition of the forum. This decision followed a unanimous vote by the member countries present at the event.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the hosting right marks Nigeria as the second host and the first Anglophone country to host this significant forum. The FADWCC was established in 2024 to strengthen partnerships among defence and war colleges and to address common challenges faced by African nations. It also aims to enhance collaborations in higher professional military education. Rear Adm. Olumuyiwa Morakinyo Olotu, Commandant of NDC Nigeria, accepted the hosting right on behalf of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and received the symbolic hosting flag from his Moroccan counterpart.
The 2025 edition of FADWCC, themed ‘Artificial Intelligence and Defence’, saw participation from commandants of defence and war colleges from 14 African nations, including Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, and Ethiopia. Other participants were Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zambia. The attendance significantly increased from the eight countries that participated in the inaugural edition in 2024.
It is anticipated that the 2026 edition in Abuja will see an even greater turnout of commandants from across the African continent. The Nigerian delegation to the 2025 forum included commandants of the Army, Navy, and Air Force War Colleges, along with their spouses and some academic staff from the four colleges. Olotu expressed Nigeria’s commitment to hosting an outstanding forum in 2026 and thanked his colleagues for their confidence in Nigeria to host the next edition, promising to exceed the standards set by Morocco.