Nigeria and Cameroon have strengthened their defence partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing security along their shared southern border and boosting maritime cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea.
The agreement was signed on Wednesday in Yaoundé by Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, and Cameroon’s Minister Delegate at the Presidency in Charge of Defence, Joseph Assomo, following two days of high-level engagements involving defence and security officials from both countries.
The new pact is expected to provide a structured framework for deeper military collaboration between Nigeria and Cameroon as both nations confront evolving security threats across land and maritime territories.
According to a statement issued by the Minister of Defence’s media aide, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the agreement establishes a modernised platform for bilateral cooperation and strengthens the longstanding defence relationship between the neighbouring countries.
The framework covers a wide range of strategic areas, including intelligence sharing, operational coordination, logistics support, joint military exercises, personnel exchange programmes and collective responses to emerging security challenges.
The statement noted that the agreement is designed to improve security operations along the Nigeria-Cameroon border while enhancing cooperation in protecting maritime assets and economic interests within the Gulf of Guinea.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Musa described the agreement as a significant milestone that would institutionalise military cooperation between both countries and create a more coordinated approach to tackling common security concerns.
He said the MoU would serve as a formal mechanism for strengthening joint operations and ensuring sustained collaboration in addressing cross-border threats, maritime insecurity and other regional security issues.
A major focus of the discussions was the operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Joint Task Force, a regional security initiative intended to improve maritime surveillance and enhance collective responses to criminal activities within the Gulf of Guinea.
Both countries acknowledged the strategic importance of the Gulf of Guinea and emphasised the need for stronger partnerships to combat piracy, illegal activities at sea and threats to economic infrastructure in the region.
Beyond security operations, the two nations also explored opportunities for cooperation in defence manufacturing and technology development.
Musa observed that one of the major challenges facing African defence systems remains the limited local production of military equipment and hardware, stressing the need for greater collaboration among African nations to build indigenous defence capabilities.
He highlighted opportunities within Nigeria’s defence industry framework and reaffirmed the country’s readiness to partner with Cameroon in areas such as defence production, technology transfer, research, innovation and capacity building.
In his remarks, Assomo expressed Cameroon’s interest in expanding bilateral cooperation in defence technology and disclosed that efforts were already underway to develop a formal framework that would translate the discussions into concrete areas of collaboration.
The signing of the agreement was described by both governments as a major step towards strengthening regional security, preserving national sovereignty and promoting peace within the sub-region.
The development comes amid renewed attention on security along the Nigeria-Cameroon border following reports that armed Cameroonian soldiers recently crossed into Danare community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, an incident that reportedly sparked concerns among residents of the border area.
Officials from both countries, however, expressed confidence that the new defence cooperation framework would enhance communication, coordination and conflict prevention mechanisms while fostering stronger bilateral relations between Nigeria and Cameroon.
