WASHINGTON DC: The United States has approved $413.046 million (about ₦587 billion) for counterinsurgency and security operations in Nigeria and other African countries, as violent extremism and banditry intensify across West Africa.
The allocation is contained in the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 and falls under Title XLIII, covering operation and maintenance for the US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The funds were approved amid persistent security challenges, including insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East, banditry in the North-West, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and jihadist violence spreading across the Sahel.
Although AFRICOM requested and received the full $413.046 million, the Act did not provide a detailed breakdown of spending.
Overall, the NDAA authorises $901 billion in US military expenditure for 2026 and includes a four per cent pay rise for American troops. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law on December 18, 2025.
Beyond funding, the Act establishes an Assistant Secretary for African Affairs and a Bureau of African Affairs within the US Department of State to coordinate and implement US foreign policy across sub-Saharan Africa.
It also mandates assessments of Russia’s military posture and activities on the continent, as well as their implications for US contingency plans under AFRICOM and other commands.
Security analysts say the developments reflect intensifying geopolitical competition in Africa among the United States, Russia and China. According to them, while security cooperation is important, economic interests particularly access to strategic and critical minerals are the primary drivers of renewed engagement on the continent.
In a related move, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has called for deeper strategic cooperation between the Nigerian Army and the US Army, stressing that international military partnerships remain critical to addressing Nigeria’s evolving and complex security challenges.
