A three-day West Africa Religious Affairs Symposium (WARAS), organised by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), has ended in Accra with a renewed commitment to strengthening spiritual readiness, ethical leadership and operational resilience within West African armed forces through enhanced regional cooperation.

The symposium brought together military religious leaders from 10 West African countries to deepen partnerships, promote interoperability among chaplaincies and improve support for personnel operating in increasingly complex security environments.

Speaking at a digital press briefing organised by the United States Department of State's Africa Regional Media Hub on Wednesday, the Command Chaplain at AFRICOM, Chaplain Colonel Kevin Forrester, described the symposium as a timely response to evolving security challenges in the region.

He said participating countries were united in their resolve to safeguard the spiritual wellbeing of their forces while respecting the diverse faith traditions within their militaries.

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Col Forrester explained that religion remained a major influence on culture and society across Africa, adding that military chaplains played a strategic role in strengthening institutions, promoting ethical conduct and building resilience among troops.

He noted that the symposium was not designed to impose an American model of military chaplaincy, but rather to encourage collaboration and mutual learning among partner nations.

According to him, the meeting helped to forge lasting relationships among military chaplains across the region, creating stronger networks for cooperation in future operations.

Col Forrester said one of the key achievements of the symposium was the coming together of military religious leaders from countries with different languages, cultures and faith traditions to pursue a shared goal of peace and stability.

The Religious Affairs Senior Enlisted Leader at AFRICOM, Sergeant Major Herinah Asaah, said religious affairs specialists worked alongside chaplains to ensure that strategies developed at the leadership level translated into practical support for soldiers and their families.

She noted that caring for the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of service personnel was essential to maintaining operational readiness, particularly among younger troops facing challenges such as misinformation on social media and prolonged deployments.

Sgt Maj Asaah emphasised that understanding the central role of faith and spirituality in West African societies was critical to building resilient military forces.

She added that participants exchanged best practices on the use of technology and social media to engage younger personnel, while maintaining the importance of face-to-face pastoral care.

The symposium also highlighted interfaith cooperation, bringing together Protestant chaplains, Catholic priests and Muslim imams to strengthen collaboration and ensure that military personnel received appropriate spiritual support regardless of their faith.

The symposium, held from July 14 to 16, brought together participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.