The United States plans to spend ₦587 billion ($413.046 million) on counter-insurgency and security operations in Nigeria and other African countries in 2026, amid worsening insecurity across West Africa.
The allocation is contained in the United States National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday. The funds were approved under Title XLIII (Operation and Maintenance) for the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The security allocation comes against the backdrop of renewed US military engagement in the region, including recent Christmas Day airstrikes on terrorist hideouts in Sokoto State by the Donald Trump administration and the delivery of military equipment by AFRICOM to Nigerian security agencies earlier this week.
The NDAA 2026 authorises a total of $901 billion in US defence spending, including a four per cent pay raise for American troops. AFRICOM requested $413.046 million for its operations, an amount fully approved by Congress, although the Act did not provide a detailed breakdown of how the funds would be utilised.
President Donald Trump signed the NDAA into law on December 18, 2025, marking the 65th consecutive annual defence authorisation by the United States.
The AFRICOM budget comes as West Africa continues to grapple with insurgency, banditry and violent extremism. In Nigeria, Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency persist in the North-East, while banditry remains widespread in the North-West. Piracy and other maritime crimes also continue in the Gulf of Guinea.
Elsewhere in the region, Mali remains under sustained attacks by jihadist groups, while northern Benin has recorded increasing spillover violence from the Sahel.
Other allocations under the operation and maintenance category of the NDAA include $385.744 million for the United States European Command, $224.971 million for the United States Southern Command, $77.049 million for US Forces Korea, $331.467 million for cyberspace operations and $550.089 million for cybersecurity activities. The subtotal for operating forces under this category stands at $39.999 billion.
Beyond military spending, the Act also provides for the establishment of an Assistant Secretary for African Affairs within the US Department of State. The position will oversee matters relating to sub-Saharan Africa and coordinate the implementation of US foreign policy in the region.
The law further establishes a Bureau of African Affairs, to be headed by the Assistant Secretary, to manage US foreign policy implementation and assistance to sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition, the NDAA mandates a comprehensive assessment of Russia’s military strategy, objectives and force posture in Africa. This includes a review of Russia’s overseas military bases, logistics capabilities and infrastructure used to project power on the continent, as well as the implications for US contingency plans under AFRICOM, US Central Command and US European Command.
Commenting on the development, a security analyst and Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Consulting, Kabir Adamu, said the funding and policy shifts reflected intensifying geopolitical rivalry in Africa, driven largely by economic interests rather than humanitarian concerns.
According to Adamu, Africa—particularly West Africa and the Sahel—has become a strategic battleground due to insecurity, weak state control and the presence of critical natural resources.
He noted that Russia and China had expanded their influence across the continent through military cooperation and economic engagement, forcing the United States to reassess its posture in Africa.
Adamu argued that access to critical minerals, including lithium and other rare earth resources, remained the primary motivation behind growing foreign interest in Africa, dismissing narratives around religious persecution as misleading.
He also called for transparency, urging Nigerian authorities and the National Assembly to make public the details of any agreements entered into with the United States.
Another security analyst, Chidi Omeje, described Nigeria’s evolving relationship with the US as one based on partnership rather than dominance. He said collaboration with global powers was necessary to confront transnational terrorist networks operating across the Sahel and Lake Chad regions.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has called for deeper strategic cooperation between the Nigerian Army and the United States Army to address Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
Shaibu made the call during a courtesy visit by the US Defence Attaché to Nigeria, Lt. Col. Semira Moore, at the Army Headquarters in Abuja. He praised the US for its sustained support and urged expanded collaboration in operational effectiveness, doctrine development and institutional capacity.
Moore reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Nigerian Army, particularly in capacity building, intelligence sharing, humanitarian assistance and troop welfare initiatives.
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