Wia dis foto come from,Getty Images
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- Author,Mamadou Faye
- Role,BBC News Afrique
- Published17 May 2026
- Read am in 6 mins
Although arms import for states don drop by -41 % for Africa, according to di report by di Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), wey dem update on March 9, Sub-Saharan Africa remain dynamic region in di arms race
Hia na di top 10 kontriss wey dey import arms into Sub-Saharan Africa out of di 42 wey dey for SIPRI list
For Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria, Senegal and Mali dey among di largest arms importers, accounting for 13 % share of di region
Di top 10 dey based on di feedback wey Dr Mathew George, Director for Arms Transfers program for SIPRI tell BBC
Di figures dey based on di TIV indicators (in millions) from di report “Trends in International Arms Transfers” (2021–2025) from SIPRI
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1. Nigeria
Na Nigeria na be di top importer of arms for di sub-region, wit 16% import into di region, estimated at 532.4 million indicator value (TIV)
Di import dem dey dominated by fighter aircraft, helicopters, armored vehicles, anti-tank missiles, naval vessels, and drones
Nigeria dey benefit from suppliers wey dey come from Turkey, South Korea, China, Netherlands, France, Italy, Brazil, United States, Russia, South Africa, Pakistan, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Austria and Malaysia
E dey account fot one-sixth of all di imports wey dey enta from sub-Saharan area
2. Senegal
Senegal don mark rise in dia economic growth, wit imports of 298.46 million (TIV), wey dey around 8.8% of wetin dem dey import from sub-Saharan Africa kontris
E don become second-largest importer for di region, wen dem buy naval fleets (missile launchers, patrol boats) for maritime surveillance in connection wit offshore gas and oil operations, aircrafts for airspace surveillance, to handle security challenges wey dey rise
Senegal don buy anti-ship missiles, armored vehicles, and artillery
Dia main suppliers na France, Bulgaria, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Denmark, Italy, Germany, USA, Turkey, Spain, and Canada
3. Mali
Di armed forces for Mali don experience rapid growth since 2020. Di strength na as result of several factors wey dey linked to di war against armed groups. Dis commitment make Mali di third-largest importer of weapons for sub-Saharan Africa, wit investment of 272.17 million TIV, wey dey account for 8% of Africa import
E go good make we note say Mali don change dia military partners, as dem don join wit Russia afta dem fight wit France
Mali don import armored vehicles, troop transport vehicles, aircraft, drones, heavy artillery, missiles, etc. Di kontri dey supplied wit arms by Canada, Spain, Russia, China, Turkey, and South Africa
Wia dis foto come from,Getty Images
4. Ethiopia
Due to di internal tensions linked to di Tigray conflict, Ethiopia dey increasingly rely on di use of drones and heavy weapon
Dem don acquire various types of weapons, wey include military aircraft, drones, artillery, armoured vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, and training and combat aircraft, amongst odas
Ethiopia dey import weapons from Russia, Turkey, China, Iran, UAE, and Bosnia, wit total value of 172.85 million index value
5. Angola
Angola, don dey fight war for long, dem dey buy arms regularly for di last five years. Dem dey import around 4.7% weapons. Angola dey focus on sea surveillance and airspace control
Angola don buy marine patrol boats, airplane engines, landing crafts, wey di total value na 160.3 million index values TIV. Na Spain, Belarus, France and Canada dey supply di kontri
6. Kenya
Kenya dey face different security situation, especially for dia border area, as crime rate dey rise and di armed group Al-Shabaab, wey dey operate mainly operate for North-East, coastal region and Nairobi
To tackle dis matter, di kontri don import weapons wey total 4.10% and wit worth of 140.62 million indicator values (TIV)
Kenya buy personnel carriers, aircraft, long-range air-to-air missiles, Bayraktar TB-2 drones, and various types of helicopters, including Hugues-500D. Di kontris wey dey supply Kenya arms na UAE, Germany, Israel, Turkey, USA, and South Korea
7. Mauritania
Although Mauritania dey one of di relatively stable kontris for Sahel, e dey face terrorist threat for dia northern and eastern borders, wey dey between Algeria and Mali
Mauritania dey import arms wey worth 3.90% of di regional imports, total wey be 134.36 million trade-in values (TIV)
Dem don get anti-tank missiles, troop transport vehicles, fire support vehicles, mobile surface-to-air missile systems, air defense systems, reconnaissance drones, and reconnaissance or fire support armored vehicles
8. Burkina Faso
For many years now, Burkina Faso don face many attacks by jihadist groups, resulting in numerous civilian and military casualties, as well as significant population displacement for di northern region of di kontri
In response to di security instability, Burkina Faso don buy bombs, missiles, armoured personnel carriers, armoured vehicles, automatic cannons, aircraft, combat helicopters, artillery, Bayraktar TB-2 drones, multiple rocket launchers and armoured personnel carriers, wit total value of 127.64 million TIV
China, Canada, Egypt, UAE, Turkey, USA, Spain, Bulgaria, and South Africa na di main suppliers for Burkina Faso
9. Côte d’Ivoire
Even though security dey stable for south of di country, Côte d’Ivoire dey watch di northern border regions wey dey border Burkina Faso and Mali closely, as dis kontris dey face constant threat from jihadist
Di kontri don take 3.50% of di arms import wey dem record for SIPRI, representing total value of 120.33 million TIV
Côte d’Ivoire don buy light helicopters AS-350 and H-125 light helicopters, Mi-24V attack helicopters, armored personnel transports (Puma M-36 and Cobra-2), vehicle engines, fire support vehicles, and patrol boats for maritime surveillance
Di main kontris wey dey supply arms to Côte d’Ivoire na South Africa, Turkey, Bulgaria, United States, China, United Arab Emirates, France, and Israel
10. Rwanda
Rwanda don significantly step up dia air defense capabilities, wit import around 3.50% of di total import volume for sub-Saharan African kontris
Wit total value of 118.73 million indicators (TIV), Rwanda don acquire combat helicopters, light helicopters, troop transport armored vehicles, short-range air-to-air missiles, and mobile surface-to-air missile systems
Dem dey buy arms from Turkey, China, Russia, Qatar, and USA
Wia dis foto come from,Getty Images
In terms of di volume of arms wey dem dey import, Sudan dey at war, wit total of 115.02 million indicator values (TIV)
Den Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), wey dey spend approximately 110.9 million indicator values (TIV)
Niger na one of di kontris for di Sahel States Alliance, wey dey fight against jihadist threat, dem don also invest 76.54 million indicators (TIV)
Di United States dey dominate exports to Africa overall (19%), China (17%), Russia (15%), France (8.3%), den Turkey and Brazil
However, China dey supply 22% of di arms imports to 23 sub-Saharan African kontris during di period 2021–2025. Den Russia wit 12% and Turkey wit 11%
