By DAYO ADESULU
The United States has approved ₦587 billion ($413.046 million) for counter-insurgency and security operations in Nigeria and other African countries in 2026, amid escalating insecurity across West Africa.
The funding is contained in the US National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, approved under Title XLIII (Operation and Maintenance) for the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). The allocation comes against the backdrop of renewed US-Nigeria security engagements, including recent AFRICOM delivery of military equipment to Nigerian security agencies.
The NDAA 2026 authorises $901 billion in total US military spending, alongside a four per cent pay rise for American troops. AFRICOM requested the full $413.046 million and received it, although the Act did not specify how the funds would be distributed across operations or countries. President Donald Trump signed the Act into law on December 18, 2025, marking the 65th consecutive annual defence authorisation.
The AFRICOM budget reflects persistent instability in the region. Nigeria continues to battle insurgency in the North-East and banditry in the North-West, while piracy remains a concern in the Gulf of Guinea. Elsewhere, Mali faces sustained jihadist attacks, and northern Benin has recorded spillover violence from the Sahel.
Beyond military spending, the Act establishes an Assistant Secretary for African Affairs and a Bureau of African Affairs within the US Department of State to coordinate and oversee US foreign policy and assistance to sub-Saharan Africa. It also mandates an assessment of Russia’s military strategy and footprint in Africa, including overseas bases and logistics infrastructure, and the implications for US contingency plans.
Security analysts say the moves reflect intensifying geopolitical rivalry involving the US, China and Russia, driven largely by economic interests and access to critical minerals rather than direct military confrontation. Others view the evolving US-Nigeria engagement as a partnership framework, stressing the need for international collaboration to tackle transnational terrorism.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has called for deeper cooperation with the United States Army, highlighting the importance of joint training, intelligence sharing and capacity building to address Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
#USNigeriaRelations #AFRICOM #CounterInsurgency #WestAfricaSecurity #NDAA2026 #NigeriaSecurity
