KEY POINTS
- The US gives Nigeria and West Africa $413 million for security activities.
- The money helps with counterinsurgency, maritime security, and exchanging intelligence.
- The NDAA sets up a new African Affairs bureau and looks into what Russia is doing.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed into law in December 2025. The United States has set aside $413 million for counter-insurgency and security activities in Nigeria and other West African countries for the 2026 fiscal year.
The money is part of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) budget and is part of a larger $901 billion defense spending package that also gives US service members a 4 percent pay raise. This is the 65th year in a row that the US has authorized defense spending.
Funds address rising security challenges in West Africa
The NDAA doesn’t break down the money by nation, but the $413 million is the full request from AFRICOM for operations and maintenance in Africa. The money comes at a time when Islamist groups, armed robbers, and crooks at sea are becoming more dangerous.
Nigeria is still dealing with a long-running insurgency in the North-East, growing banditry in the North-West, and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Militant activity has increased in Mali and northern Benin, which are next to each other, and conflicts in the Sahel have spilled over into these countries.
In the last several weeks, the US has worked more closely with Nigeria. For example, they sent military weapons to Nigerian security agencies in Abuja. AFRICOM said that the deliveries were part of a joint security collaboration to help ongoing operations.
Expanded US involvement with air strikes and changes to policy
US forces coordinated airstrikes on suspected terrorist sites in Sokoto State on Christmas Day 2025 with Nigerian authorities. This led to more involvement, these steps show that the US is getting more involved in operations, such as sharing intelligence and providing tactical support to fight extremist groups.
The NDAA makes important policy reforms for Africa in addition to providing financial help. For example, it creates a new Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the State Department and a Bureau of African Affairs to coordinate US foreign policy and aid across sub-Saharan Africa.
The bill also calls for a renewed review of Russian military activity in Africa, which will likely influence how the US plans strategy in AFRICOM, Central Command, and European Command.
