President Bola Tinubu has called for increased military equipment production, technology transfer and strategic defence partnerships among African armed forces.
He urged African countries to strengthen their domestic defence industries and collective security efforts amid growing threats from terrorism, transnational crime and other security challenges across the continent.
President Tinubu made the call at the 2026 Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX), held at Eko Atlantic, Lagos. Senate President Godswill Akpabio represented him at the event.
The President stressed the need to connect defence partnerships with sustainable industrial development and stronger national security capabilities.
Addressing participants at the opening of the four-day exhibition, President Tinubu said “threats ranging from terrorism and cross-border crime to cyberattacks were becoming increasingly interconnected, undermining livelihoods and slowing development across Africa.”
He said AFRIDEX should provide a platform for turning military experience into technological innovation, strengthening domestic industries and developing practical solutions to Africa’s security challenges.
The President emphasised that defence procurement should deliver benefits beyond equipment supply, particularly through skills development, knowledge transfer and support for local manufacturing.
According to him, “effective partnerships should strengthen African engineers, build institutional capacity and enable countries to maintain the equipment they operate.”
President Tinubu also called for predictable funding for African-led peace operations, stressing that personnel deployed to restore stability must receive adequate equipment and support to carry out their duties.
The President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, General Birame Diop, described the regional security situation as complex, citing terrorism, organised crime, banditry, piracy, misinformation and cyber threats.
Diop said restrictions on access to critical technologies and military capabilities highlighted the importance of developing indigenous capacity and preparing for emerging threats before crises escalated.
He said the decision by ECOWAS heads of state and government to activate a regional standby force against terrorism reflected a collective determination to tackle insecurity and other forms of asymmetric warfare.
Diop maintained that no country could effectively address contemporary security challenges alone, calling for closer regional cooperation and greater self-reliance.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, said “the exhibition was designed to strengthen the country’s position in the global defence manufacturing industry.”
Musa said Nigeria needed to produce more of the equipment required by its armed forces rather than depend heavily on foreign suppliers.
He disclosed that more than 66 countries were participating in the exhibition, describing the turnout as evidence of international interest in Nigeria’s defence ambitions.
The Minister urged participating companies to invest in local production, expressing the ambition to begin rolling out locally manufactured tanks, armoured personnel carriers and drones within a year.
He said Nigeria had already begun defence production and wanted to expand the effort significantly.
AFRIDEX 2026 focuses on local manufacturing, strategic partnerships and technology transfer as part of efforts to strengthen Africa’s security capabilities. However, implementation will be crucial to translating these ambitions into operational results.
