The United States has approved $413 million to support counter-insurgency and wider security operations in Nigeria and other West African countries for the 2026 fiscal year, following the signing of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) into law in December 2025.
The funding, allocated under the budget of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), reflects Washington’s growing concern over deteriorating security conditions across the region. It forms part of a sweeping defence package authorising $901 billion in total military spending and providing a four per cent pay increase for US service members, marking the 65th consecutive annual defence authorisation by Congress.
Although the NDAA does not break down how the $413 million will be distributed among individual African countries, the sum represents the full amount requested by AFRICOM for its Africa operations and maintenance activities in the coming fiscal year.
The approval comes amid escalating violence linked to jihadist insurgencies, armed banditry and maritime crime. Nigeria continues to confront a protracted Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgency in the North-East, widespread bandit attacks in the North-West and persistent piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Elsewhere in the region, militant threats remain acute, with Mali facing renewed extremist pressure and northern Benin increasingly affected by spillover violence from the Sahel.
In recent weeks, the United States has intensified its security engagement with Nigeria. AFRICOM recently confirmed the delivery of military equipment to Nigerian security agencies in Abuja, describing the move as part of ongoing cooperation.
“This delivery supports Nigeria’s ongoing operations and emphasises our shared security partnership,” the command said.
The renewed engagement follows US air strikes on suspected terrorist hideouts in Sokoto State on Christmas Day 2025, carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities. The operation signalled a deepening level of US involvement in regional security efforts, including enhanced intelligence sharing and operational support targeting extremist networks.
Beyond funding, the NDAA introduces significant policy changes aimed at strengthening US engagement with Africa. The legislation establishes a new Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the US State Department and creates a dedicated Bureau of African Affairs to oversee and coordinate US foreign policy and assistance across sub-Saharan Africa.
It also mandates a comprehensive review of Russia’s military presence and activities on the continent, a move expected to shape future US strategic planning involving AFRICOM, as well as Central and European Commands.
Taken together, the funding increase and policy reforms point to a more assertive US security posture in West Africa as regional governments grapple with increasingly complex and interconnected threats
