# Africa must become more self-reliant in defence, Tinubu tells AFRIDEX

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2026/11/africa-must-become-more-self-reliant-in-defence-tinubu-tells-afridex/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:23:13+01:00
- Author: Military Africa

Africa needs to become more self-reliant and build partnerships that develop African
strategic resilience, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu told the inaugural [Africa International Defence Exhibition (AFRIDEX)](https://www.military.africa/2026/10/afridex-2026-opens-in-lagos-as-nigeria-courts-africas-defence-market/)
in Lagos. The President was represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who
delivered the message at the opening ceremony at Eko Atlantic on Monday 26 October
2026.

“Afridex 2026 must become a meeting point where military experience informs innovation,
strengthens national capabilities, and partnerships, and delivers practical solutions.
Our purpose here is very clear. We have to build an Africa capable of defending 
its people and securing the peace upon which progress depends,” the message from
the President read.

Akpabio spoke to a packed auditorium of delegates from African and international
militaries, representatives of defence businesses and diplomats. A brass band played
traditional African music to welcome the guests, with particular emphasis on Nigerian
hymns, and the audience was filled with high-ranking officers and many people dressed
in traditional Nigerian clothes made of Ankara cloth and agbada.

![AFRIDEX 2026 opening ceremony at Eko Atlantic, Lagos, where Senate President Godswill
Akpabio represented President Bola Tinubu](https://www.military.africa/wp-content/
uploads/2026/11/IMG-20261027-WA0035-scaled.webp)

The AFRIDEX 2026 opening ceremony at Eko Atlantic, Lagos, on 26 October 2026. (Image:
Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation)

## From the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel

“We gather with a shared responsibility to secure our nations in Africa, protect
our people, and safeguard Africa’s future. From the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel,
from our territorial borders to the cyberspace and outer space, the threats confronting
us are becoming more complex and much more interconnected. They threaten lives, 
livelihoods, and disrupt trade. They even weaken the foundations of development 
of many African countries. Africa’s security must also command our collective attention
because there can be no enduring prosperity when fear governs daily life. Nigeria
speaks from experience. We know the cause of insecurity, the lives that are lost
on a daily basis, the communities that are displaced, the livelihoods that are interrupted,
and the opportunities that are denied.”

The message was delivered three days after gunmen attacked the Binari community 
in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State on Friday 23 October, killing
58 people according to the Taraba State Police Command, including 15 who [drowned when their boat capsized as they fled](https://www.arise.tv/tinubu-calls-for-stronger-african-defence-cooperation-as-taraba-attack-death-toll-rises-to-58/).

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The President’s address did not ignore the hardships faced by frontline troops. “
Our armed forces have confronted terrorism, insurgency, banditry, piracy, and other
transnational threats with courage and sacrifice, almost on a daily basis. We honour
their services and remember those who have paid a supreme sacrifice and their souls
rest in peace. Their sacrifices place an obligation upon us to provide the leadership,
to provide the equipment, the training, and the support that our current men and
women in the field need. We have also learned that lasting security requires strong
institutions, public trust, reliable partnership, and the industrial capacity to
sustain our defence capabilities.”

## “The capability it leaves behind”

The importance of international partnerships that benefit Africa, and of shared 
collective defence for the region, ran through the speech. “Our defence partnership
must therefore deliver value. Long after equipment has been supplied, every major
acquisition should help develop skills, transfer knowledge, strengthen local industries,
deepen our capacity to maintain what we operate. The measure of a successful partnership
is the capability it leaves behind. African engineers must gain expertise. African
enterprises must grow.”

“African institutions must become stronger. Self-determination must guide our support
for African-led peace operations. The courage to respond to crises must be matched
by predictable resources. Adequate equipment, rigorous training, sustained institutional
support. Those we send to keep the peace must have the means to keep the peace. 
We must also secure the seas that connect our economies to one another and to the
rest of the world.”

That principle was put into practice at the same show. Turkey’s [HAVELSAN signed a technology cooperation memorandum with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON)](https://www.military.africa/2026/11/havelsan-and-dicon-sign-defence-technology-cooperation-mou-at-afridex/),
and Nigerian firms such as Arridex used the exhibition to [unveil locally built unmanned boats](https://www.military.africa/2026/10/afridex-2026-nigerias-arridex-unveils-adx-barra-200-unmanned-boats/).
The call to secure the seas also echoed the [continental maritime security forum hosted by Ghana](https://www.military.africa/2026/11/ghana-hosts-africas-first-continental-maritime-security-forum/)
days later.

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## Cyber, space, artificial intelligence and autonomy

Rapidly advancing battlefield technologies took up a large part of the President’s
address. “At the same time, we must prepare for the changing character of conflict
in the global society. Cyber capabilities, space technologies, artificial intelligence,
and autonomous systems are transforming the security environment.”

“Africa must invest in the knowledge and institutions required to understand these
technologies, use them responsibly, and develop solutions of our own, particularly
for the purposes of maintenance. Our young people have the talents. Our responsibility
is to create the opportunities for them. Nigeria is advancing indigenous defence
production, strengthening cooperation with trusted partners, and developing capabilities
suited to evolving threats. We will continue to support these efforts with a very
clear objective.”

![Delegates and officials at the AFRIDEX 2026 opening ceremony in Lagos](https://
www.military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/IMG-20261027-WA0042-scaled.webp)

Delegates and officials at the opening of AFRIDEX 2026 in Lagos. (Image: Federal
Ministry of Information and National Orientation)

## ECOWAS: security “not in dependence on others”

The emphasis on mutually beneficial partnerships and collective African security
was echoed by an earlier speaker, General Birame Diop, President of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and a former Senegalese Minister
of the Armed Forces, who took office at the Commission in August 2026. He praised
President Tinubu for his leadership in regional security.

“His support for initiatives that promote African self-reliance, defence cooperation,
and collective security continues to inspire our collective efforts toward a safer,
more secure, and more prosperous West Africa. Nigeria has consistently demonstrated
leadership in advancing peace and security across Africa, from the immense sacrifices
it made in restoring peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone, to its pivotal role in the
operationalisation and deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force today. This exhibition
is yet another testament to Nigeria’s enduring leadership and commitment to regional
stability, collective security, and defence cooperation on the continent. By convening
Afridex, Nigeria has once again demonstrated visionary leadership, affirming that
Africa’s future security lies not in dependence on others, but in our collective
ability to design, develop, and provide our own security solutions.”

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Diop also set out the changing nature of 21st-century warfare as it affects Africa.“
The current security landscape across our continent remains complex and challenging.
Terrorist attacks, transnational organised crime, banditry, piracy, and other illicit
activities at sea, unconstitutional changes of government, cyber-attacks, and mis-
and disinformation continue to threaten peace, stability, and development. These
threats are asymmetric, transnational, and deeply interconnected, requiring equally
coordinated and innovative responses. At the same time, the geopolitical environment
in which we operate is changing rapidly. The world is becoming increasingly multipolar,
characterised by growing primacy of national interests, geopolitical competition,
shifting alliances, and uncertainty about the future. We must also acknowledge the
realities that access to defence equipment, critical technologies, and military 
capabilities can at times be constrained by the interests and priorities of external
powers. Leaders do not wait for crisis to emerge before taking action. They prepare
for that. If the future is uncertain, our response must be rooted in readiness, 
resilience, and self-reliance. This makes initiatives such as Afridex both timely
and necessary.”

ECOWAS has been working to [operationalise a joint counterterrorism force](https://www.military.africa/2026/03/ecowas-to-operationalise-joint-counterterrorism-force/)
under the [ECOWAS Standby Force](https://www.military.africa/tag/ecowas-standby-force/),
though analysts have argued that [West African states will need to fund it themselves](https://www.military.africa/2026/04/africans-needs-to-fund-the-ecowas-standby-force-themselves-expert/)
if it is to be sustained.

## Musa: collective security for hybrid threats

Nigerian Defence Minister General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retired) spoke earlier
in the ceremony and placed Nigeria’s defence needs within an African and global 
context, especially as they relate to AFRIDEX.

“We are all aware of the challenges of insecurity confronting not only Nigeria, 
but indeed, the entire world. And we need for us to continue to work together for
the good of humanity. This gathering offers us that platform and opportunity to 
engage meaningfully in the pursuit of a safer and more secure world. Afridex started
as a strategic mission, and I’m glad to see that today the ideas have come to fruition.
The world is faced with tumult and uncertainties that challenge our peaceful existence.
The threats we encounter are hybrid in nature and fast evolving across all domains
of warfare. The challenge before us is to ensure that our defence policies and institutions
remain responsive to these challenges and their realities. We must continue to prepare
for the changing character of warfare and develop the requisite capacities to deal
with them decisively. The contemporary global realities therefore reinforce the 
importance of collective security.”

Musa, who took office as Defence Minister in December 2025, has since [called for military training for all Nigerian citizens](https://www.military.africa/2026/11/nigerian-defence-minister-calls-for-military-training-for-all-citizens/).

## Turning Lagos speeches into African capability

The three speeches shared one test for foreign suppliers: what skills, maintenance
capacity and local production remain in Africa once equipment has been delivered.
Nigeria has pressed that line through DICON and partners such as [its industrial joint ventures](https://www.military.africa/tag/dicon/),
and it now has a continental exhibition through which to repeat it. Whether the 
agreements signed in Lagos deliver the technology transfer and local industry the
President described will be the measure of AFRIDEX’s first edition.

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