Wednesday April 27, 2022
African countries raised their military spending last year
despite the economic meltdown brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A new report shows that African countries increased their
military expenditure by 1.2 percent in 2021, compared to 2020.
This means that African countries spent$39.7 billion on
military hardware, according to the report by SIPRI Fact Sheet, which monitors
Arms Industry Database.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (SIPRI) report, African military spending followed three distinct
trends. It first rose continuously between 2012 and 2014, followed by four
years of decline until 2018, and then three consecutive years of growth until
2021, to give an overall increase of 2.5 percent.
In 2021, North African military expenditure totalled $19.6
billion, 1.7 percent lower than in 2020, but 29 percent higher than in 2012.
The long-standing tensions between the two largest spenders
in North Africa—Algeria and Morocco—worsened in 2021. Algeria’s military
expenditure fell by 6.1 percent in 2021, to reach $9.1 billion, while Morocco’s
spending grew by 3.4 percent, to $5.4 billion.
In 2021, military expenditure in sub-Saharan Africa totalled
$20.1 billion, 4.1 percent higher than in 2020, but 14 percent lower than in
2012. The increase in 2021 was the first in sub-Saharan Africa since 2014 and
was primarily driven by Nigeria, the biggest spender in the sub region.
Between 2020 and 2021, Nigeria raised its military spending
by 56 percent, to reach $4.5 billion. The increase came in response to
Nigeria’s various security challenges, such as attacks by Islamist extremists
and separatist insurgents. South Africa, the second-largest spender in the sub
region, cut its military expenditure by 13 per cent, to $3.3 billion in 2021.
Kenya, Uganda and Angola were, respectively, the third,
fourth and fifth largest military spenders in sub-Saharan Africa.
Over the decade 2012–21, Kenya and Uganda have both faced
insurgencies that have influenced their military spending. Between 2012 and
2021, military expenditure rose by 203 per cent in Uganda but remained
relatively stable in Kenya (down by 4.5 per cent).
Military spending by Angola fell by 66 per cent over the same period. The
worsening economic conditions in Angola from around 2015—largely caused by low
oil prices and slumps in its oil production—and the slow pace of economic
recovery in more recent years was central to the sharp drop in Angolan military
spending over the decade.
Globally, the world military expenditure in 2021 surpassed
the two trillion US dollar mark for the first time, reaching $2.113 trillion.
The United States (accounting for 38 percent of world
military spending in 2021) and China (14 percent) remained by far the two
largest spenders. There were, however, some notable changes in ranking among
the top 15 between 2020 and 2021. The United Kingdom and France each moved up
two ranks, becoming the fourth and sixth largest spenders in 2021, respectively.
The report says that after a 17 percent drop in military
spending, Saudi Arabia fell from the fourth largest spender in 2020 to the
eighth largest in 2021. Iran increased its military spending by 11 percent,
making it the 14th largest military spender in 2021. This is the first time in
20 years that Iran has ranked among the top 15 military spenders.