Nigeria and the European Union have held talks to finalise the delivery of a €20m ($21.5m; £16.8m) military aid package aimed at boosting the West African nation’s fight against jihadist insurgents.
The funding—the EU’s first direct bilateral defence grant to Nigeria—will supply non-lethal equipment, technical training, and maintenance to troops operating primarily in the volatile Lake Chad Basin. Under the agreement, which was first signed in October, the European Peace Facility (EPF) will fund counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) gear, anti-drone systems, night-vision technology, and protective equipment for deployed soldiers.
Nigeria’s Defence Minister, retired General Christopher Musa, met an EU delegation led by Claire Gaudin, head of the EPF at the European External Action Service, in the capital, Abuja, on Thursday. Gen Musa said the support would strengthen ongoing counter-terrorism operations against groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap), which have waged a decade-long insurgency across the region. He also urged European partners to invest in local defence manufacturing in Nigeria to help the country build self-sufficiency, while expressing hope that future funding phases would expand to include military medical support and advanced surveillance systems. Ms Gaudin said the priority areas were chosen following joint consultations with Nigeria’s military leadership, adding that the package complements wider regional stabilisation efforts by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF)—a coalition of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Benin. Both sides also discussed expanding cooperation on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, a critical global shipping route long plagued by piracy and oil theft.
Set up in 2021, the European Peace Facility is an off-budget fund used by the 27-nation bloc to bolster the military capabilities of partner countries worldwide, with more than 20 African nations currently receiving support.
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