In a recorded speech to the 17th conference of CISSA, held in Cairo on Sunday, El-Sisi called for continuously developing the tools of African integration in a way that responds to the many emerging and non-traditional challenges.

During the conference, Egypt’s General Intelligence Service (GIS) took over the presidency of CISSA, an intelligence provider to the African Union states, for 2022 from Nigeria.

El-Sisi pledged during Egypt’s presidency of the committee to continue CISSA’s contributions to achieving security integration and raising its capabilities to help overcome security threats facing African nations, a statement by the Egyptian presidency said.

African security and intelligence chiefs attending the conference have expressed their keenness to enhance the role of the committee under the Egyptian chairmanship.

El-Sisi hailed the committee’s role in confronting all challenges facing the continent, on top of which is cross-border terrorism, which fragment societies and destroy the concepts of the national state through promoting extremist thought.

The Egyptian president warned that such extremist thoughts, which call for hatred of others, thwart efforts of advancing humanity and obstruct the African countries’ steps toward achieving the desired development and prosperity.

This requires intensifying coordination among all relevant continental mechanisms, including CISSA, to dry up the terrorism resources, besiege its activities, and protect African people from its dangers, El-Sisi affirmed.

The president highlighted the pivotal role played by CISSA and all African security authorities to contribute to facing the coronavirus pandemic, which, he said, represents a growing threat to security and stability in African nations.

He also hailed these authorities’ efforts in monitoring and following up on other security challenges facing the continent, including irregular migration, unemployment, cyber security, and organized crime.

Established in 2004 in Nigeria’s Abuja, CISSA is concerned with providing timely and perceptive intelligence required for decision making to the intelligence services of its more than 50 member states through borderless cooperation.

CISSA secures a platform for the member states’ intelligence services to exchange experiences and information required for tackling transnational security threats facing the African continent.

African leaders inaugurated the committee’s headquarters in Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa in February last year on the sidelines of the 33rd AU Summit that El-Sisi chaired as then-president of the AU.

Egypt’s taking over of CISSA comes at a time while the continent is mired in armed conflicts and heightened terrorist activities.

In November, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called for intensifying coordination among African countries to eliminate all forms of terrorism.

Addressing the AU’s Peace and Security Council (PSC), Shoukry also urged serious and urgent cooperation between African countries and regional, continental, and international institutions to confront the growing connection between funding terrorism and other forms of financial crimes.

Egypt has repeatedly affirmed keenness to share its expertise in facing extremist thought and terrorism financing.