Spain, represented by its Ambassador in Abidjan Rafael Soriano, participates in the Board as an associate member in this project. Representatives from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the EU Delegation also attend. The AU and ECOWAS are ex-officio members of the Board.
The AILCT was born out of a Franco-Ivorian proposal to strengthen the capabilities of the region's States in the fight against terrorism. Presented on the occasion of President Macron's visit to Côte d'Ivoire in 2017, it is located in Jacqueville, 35 km from Abidjan, and aims to become a structure of international reference in the fight against terrorism. The Academy's objective is to coordinate all the administrations involved in the fight against the terrorist threat in order to provide a holistic response to the phenomenon. The Academy is built on three pillars: a training school for senior counter-terrorism ministerial officials; a special forces training centre; and a Strategic Research Institute. Between 2019 and 2022, 80 training courses were organised for 940 trainees from 26 African countries, civil servants from a range of government departments in the spheres of justice, penitentiary administration, customs, security and defence. Seven research centre studies have also been carried out. The goal for the period 2023-2024 is to train 600 fellows.
The Academy aims to strengthen its international dimension with the participation of new financial and technical partners. For Spain, the fight against terrorism, especially in the Sahel, is a priority and its participation in the Academy contributes to strengthening its commitment to the region in its goal of successfully fighting the terrorist threat.
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