President Bola Tinubu has said defence partnerships among African countries must deliver lasting value beyond the supply of equipment for intervention purposes.
Tinubu stated this in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the Africa International Defence Exhibition, AFRIDEX 2026, in Lagos.
Represented by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu said: “Every major acquisition should help develop skills, transfer knowledge, strengthen local industry and 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,” he said.
He said the same standard must apply to African-led peace operations, stressing that courage to respond to crises must be matched with predictable resources, adequate equipment, rigorous training and sustained institutional support.
“Those we send to keep the peace must have the means to keep the peace,” Tinubu added.
He said AFRIDEX must become a meeting point where military experience informs innovation, industry strengthens national capability, and partnerships deliver practical solutions, with the goal of building an Africa capable of defending its people.
Tinubu said Africa faces complex and interconnected threats from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel, from territorial borders to cyberspace and outer space, which threaten lives, disrupt trade and weaken development.
“There can be no enduring prosperity where fear governs daily life,” he said.
The President said Nigeria speaks from experience, having confronted terrorism, insurgency, banditry, piracy and other transnational threats, and paid tribute to fallen soldiers.
He said lasting security requires strong institutions, public trust, reliable partnerships and industrial capacity to sustain defence capabilities.
Tinubu charged African militaries to secure the seas, noting that the Gulf of Guinea is vital to trade, energy security and shared prosperity, and must be protected through stronger maritime cooperation.
He also urged investment in knowledge and institutions to understand and responsibly deploy emerging technologies such as cyber capabilities, space tech, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.
“Africa must invest in the knowledge and institutions required to understand these technologies, use them responsibly and develop solutions of our own. Our young people have the talent; our responsibility is to create the opportunity,” he said.
He described AFRIDEX 2026 as a renewed determination to turn African potential into capability, urging that partnerships formed should strengthen readiness and commitments produce visible results.
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