Digitally Enabled Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to Fight Terrorism
African security forces are operating in increasingly complex threat environments where violent extremist organizations continue to adapt, expand, and innovate. The effective use of digitally enabled intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is becoming essential for staying ahead of terrorist networks and protecting civilian populations. Open-source intelligence (OSINT), real-time social media monitoring, and other digital tools that process and integrate data and intelligence across multiple different domains are providing real value in state efforts to stay ahead of the terrorist threat through enhanced ISR capabilities.
This first session in the Africa Center’s four-part webinar series, Leveraging Defense Technologies to Fight Terrorism in Africa, will explore how African militaries can incorporate modern ISR tools to strengthen situational awareness, accelerate decision-making, and enhance operational effectiveness. Participants will hear directly from leading practitioners and experts who are deploying these tools today and get a demonstration of some cutting-edge technologies. A moderated discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
From this webinar speakers will discuss:
- How digital ISR tools are being used to detect, disrupt, and prevent terrorist activity.
- Key considerations for integrating new ISR capabilities into existing force structures.
- Lessons learned from real-world deployments across Africa and other theaters.
- Opportunities and challenges presented by rapidly evolving surveillance and analytic technologies.
Speakers
Moderator: Dr. Nate Allen
- Major General Abubakar Adamu
- Mr. Matthew Petit
Biographies
Major General Abubakar Adamu– served with the Nigerian Army for 35 years mostly as a communications officer. He was the director telecommunication at headquarters Nigerian Army signals and was also director Nigerian Army data processing. He commanded the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command. He is a graduate of National Defense University Washington DC from the Eisenhower faculty, and I was in the ICT industry while at Eisenhower.
Mr. Matthew Petit – Matt Petit is a Mission Success Lead with Vannevar Labs. He previously spent nearly 17 years as a State Department Foreign Service Officer. His overseas assignments included as Iran Watcher in Yerevan, Armenia; Deputy Political/Economic Chief in Lusaka, Zambia; and Vice Consul in Chennai, India. In Washington, Matt served separately on country desks covering Somalia, Eritrea/Djibouti, and Sudan and led a 12-person team developing regional counterterrorism policy toward Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Matt served as Director for African Affairs at the NSC, covering the Sahel region and countering Russia in Africa. Matt graduated from Davidson College with degrees in political science and music.
Combatting Terrorism Online
Virtual spaces have become a critical battleground in the fight against terrorism. Terrorist groups use the internet and social media as a tool for disseminating propaganda, recruitment, financing, and coordination. Rapid technological advances, including the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), are prompting governments and social media firms to re-evaluate how they regulate, mitigate, and monitor online content. Containing the threat of terrorism online is possible, but only if governments, security forces, and the private sector actors become as adept at leveraging new technology as the terrorists and collaborate closely with one another.
The second session in the Africa Center’s four-part Leveraging Defense Technologies to Fight Terrorism in Africa webinar series will examine opportunities, challenges, and solutions to combatting terrorist activity online. In this session, participants will hear from experts in government and the private sector working at the forefront of this issue. A moderated discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
From this webinar speakers will discuss:
- Primary approaches used by governments and militaries to combat online terrorist activity.
- Standard best practices by private-sector entities for combatting online terrorism.
- New software and technology available for advancing African governments’ ability to stop the spread of online terrorism.
Speakers
Moderator: Dr. Mark Duerksen
- Major Guéable Hervé Zeni
- Erin Saltman
Recommended Readings
- Moustafa Ayya, “Exploit and Evade to Remain and Expand: The Cross-Platform Evasion Toolbox of Islamic State Supporters,” Global Network on Extremism & Technology, December 13, 2023.
- Tech Against Terrorism, The Online Regulation Series 3.0 Handbook, July 11, 2023.
- Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), “Workshop on Countering Tech-Related Terrorism in West Africa,” August 8, 2025.
- Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, “Campaign Toolkit,” 2020.
Biographies
Major Guéable Hervé Zeni is head of the Cyber Defense Office for the Cote D’Ivoire Armed Forces, where he leads a team responsible for the security and defense of the Ivorian Armed Forces in cyberspace. He previously served as the head of the Technical Support Unit for the Ivorian Special Forces. And served as a trainer in open-source intelligence and anti-terrorist targeting at the International Counterterrorism Academy (AILCT) in Jacqueville, Cote D’Ivoire.
Major Zeni is a recipient of the Ivorian Order of Merit. He holds a bachelor’s degree in geography and a first-degree military studies certificate from the Armed Forces Academy in Zambakro, Cote D’Ivoire.
Dr. Erin Saltman is the Membership and Programs Senior Director at the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT). Before joining GIFCT, Dr. Saltman worked as a practitioner for ISD Global and other CT/CVE NGOs building out international counterterrorism programs and strategies. Formerly, she served as Meta’s Head of Counterterrorism and Dangerous Organizations Policy across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Dr. Saltman’s research and publications have focused on the evolving nature of violent extremism online, youth radicalization, and the evaluation of counter-speech approaches. She is a graduate of Columbia University (BA) and University College London (MA and PhD).
Artificial Intelligence and Counterterrorism
African security forces are operating in increasingly complex threat environments as violent extremist organizations continue to adapt, expand, and innovate. In response, governments across the continent are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can strengthen counterterrorism capabilities, improve operational effectiveness, and support national and regional security efforts. From AI-enabled data analysis and threat detection to enhanced intelligence processing and decision-support systems, emerging technologies are creating new opportunities for governments to monitor, prevent, and respond to terrorist activity more effectively. Panelists will highlight how governments are incorporating AI-enabled capabilities into security operations and professional training, while also examining which technologies and approaches may offer the greatest value for the region moving forward.
This third session in the Africa Center’s four-part webinar series, Leveraging Defense Technologies to Fight Terrorism in Africa, will explore the different capabilities that are available to African governments to help combat terrorism. Participants will hear from two highly distinguished panelists working in the field and engaging with these tools. A moderated discussion will be followed by a live Q&A session.
From this webinar speakers will discuss:
- How governments across West Africa are leveraging AI to address terrorism in Africa.
- Key challenges faced in using AI to address terrorism.
- Lessons learned in the use of AI-enabled capabilities to address terrorism.
- Discussion of how to leverage practical AI-enabled, tools, models systems, or software to enhance counterterrorism capabilities.
Speakers
Moderator:
Dr. Nate Allen
Associate Professor, Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Colonel Abdel-Aziz Fall
Commandant, Signal Corps Training School, Armed Forces of Senegal - Ms. Niccola Milnes
Principal, NVM Consulting
Recommended Readings
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Artificial Intelligence for Africa’s Defense Forces: A Toolkit for AI Strategy and Adoption, February 2026.
- Niccola Milnes and Rida Lyammouri, “AI-Enabled Purple Teaming for Sahel Convoy Security: Case of Fuel Blockade by JNIM,” Policy Center for the New South, December 2025.
- Niccola Milnes and Rida Lyammouri, “Countering JNIM’s Drone Proliferation in the Sahel,” Policy Center for the New South, July 2025, pp. 8-9.
- Brenda Mwale, “AI and Counter-Terrorism in Africa: Assessing the Role of the African Union’s Continental AI Strategy,” Global Network on Extremism and Technology, June 26, 2025.
Biographies
Colonel Abdel-Aziz Fall is a senior Senegalese military officer and signals specialist with more than 20 years of experience in military communications, information systems, cybersecurity, training, and operational command. He currently serves as Commandant of the Signals Training School and Commanding Officer of the Infrastructure Signals Battalion. Trained in Senegal, France, Germany, and the United States at leading military and academic institutions, he has held several senior appointments within the Directorate of Signals and Information Systems of the Armed Forces. He has also served in external operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, and the Central African Republic, including as military spokesperson for MINUSCA. His current areas of interest include cyber defense, AI-enabled security, military training, and the modernization of command-and-control capabilities.
Ms. Niccola (Nikki) Milnes is a senior advisor and systems architect with 15 years working on security and counterterrorism across Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and South Asia for governments including the US, UK, EU, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. She designs evaluation systems, monitoring architectures, and analytic methods for stabilization, counterterrorism, and migration programs in fragile environments. She has published extensively on asymmetric warfare and AI-enabled purple teaming, with a current focus on the drone capabilities of armed groups in West Africa.