Who Will Arm and Train West Africa's Fight Against Terrorism? ‎

As jihadist groups push south from the Sahel toward the coast, West Africa is asking a hard question: who will supply the training and equipment, and on whose terms?

The region's first answer is itself, through a new ECOWAS counterterrorism brigade. In August 2025, the ECOWAS Commission announced plans for a rapid deployment counterterrorism force of 260,000, with an annual budget of $2.5 billion, to provide logistics to frontline states.

The plan has since shrunk. Military chiefs opted for a counter-terrorism brigade of 1,650 soldiers to form the core of the force. Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal have reaffirmed their commitment to providing troops, stationed in their own countries and ready for deployment.

A later meeting of military chiefs spoke of mobilizing an initial 2,000 troops by the end of 2026, with emphasis on self-financing before seeking external support.

Behind the brigade sits training and logistics. Three training centres of excellence, in Nigeria, Ghana and Mali, are to lead the standby force's build-up, and Ghana's Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre is one of them. The ECOWAS logistics depot in Lungi, Sierra Leone, was assessed as over 90% ready, as the hub for equipment storage, maintenance and rapid dispatch.

The brigade's weaknesses are plain. Analysts at the Institute for Security Studies note it faces the challenge of deploying 1,650 troops across a vast area, that its concept of operations has not been made public, and that ECOWAS must secure predictable, sustained funding. That is why ECOWAS's security commissioner has called on bilateral and multilateral partners to complement the regional effort.

The European Union is the most visible new supporter. On 19 October the EU Council adopted a €20 million European Peace Facility measure for Nigeria's armed forces, the first bilateral measure for Nigeria, covering non-lethal equipment: counter-IED, counter-drone, night vision and personal protection. An EU technical delegation is due in Abuja in November to settle how it will be delivered.

Asian partners are present too. China has donated vehicles and command-and-control communications equipment to support ECOWAS peace operations, some of which may go to Benin, now on the front line. A new analysis in the Texas National Security Review says Russia has been the most active external player, while China supplies affordable equipment and training, Türkiye mainly drones and related training, and Gulf states finance and selective security engagement.

Ghana's President John Mahama has said his government cooperates with the UK, Germany, France and the US on security, including intelligence-sharing and joint training, and that countries fighting terrorism should accept help from any willing partner.

Three problems cut across this picture. First, the Sahel split: analysts warn that without Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the Standby Force risks becoming a coastal defence entity. The ISS adds that the brigade's real test is whether it can coordinate with the AES Unified Force.

Second, funding: a self-financing plan will be hard to deliver, and partner money may be needed in practice. Third, and most important, the quality of support. The same Texas analysis warns that assistance that prioritizes equipment, episodic training or short-term outputs without strengthening security governance reinforces the very gaps it tries to address.

Nigeria knows the cost of that question better than any other state in the region. The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, so Nigeria has now been fighting it for 17 years. The UN Development Programme counted at least 34,457 deaths and 1.8 million displaced in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe between 2009 and early 2020, and a later press report puts the toll for the insurgency led by Boko Haram and its rival ISWAP at more than 40,000 dead and two million displaced in the northeast.

The war has also changed shape. After the death of its leader Shekau, masses of Boko Haram militants surrendered while others defected to ISWAP. Years of operations, regional task forces and outside support have not ended the threat, which is why the question of what kind of help works matters more than who offers it.That is the lesson for Accra, Abuja and Cotonou as much as for donors. Drones and night-vision goggles help soldiers fight, but holding territory depends on intelligence, trusted local security forces, accountable conduct and services that follow the troops.

Partners can supply equipment and courses. Only West African governments can supply that foundation.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [email protected] +233555275880

Sources
"ECOWAS Works to Establish Counterterrorism Brigade," Africa Defense Forum, May 2026. https://adf-magazine.com/2026/05/ecowas-works-to-establish-counterterrorism-brigade/

"Daring regional effort: ECOWAS to activate counterterrorism force," Africa Defense Forum, Sept 2025. https://adf-magazine.com/2025/09/daring-regional-effort-ecowas-to-activate-counterterrorism-force/

"How ECOWAS can make its new counter-terrorism force effective," Institute for Security Studies, via allAfrica, 25 Mar 2026. https://allafrica.com/stories/202603250252.html

"West African bloc plans 2,000-troop force to fight terrorism," Anadolu. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/west-african-bloc-plans-2-000-troop-force-to-fight-terrorism/3840889

"ECOWAS targets $2.4bn to establish standby counter-terrorism force," Business a.m. https://businessamlive.com/ecowas-targets-2-4bn-to-establish-standby-counter-terrorism-force/

"ECOWAS to operationalise joint counterterrorism force," Military Africa, 13 Mar 2026. https://www.military.africa/2026/03/ecowas-to-operationalise-joint-counterterrorism-force/

EU Council measure for Nigeria, via Lovguiden, 19-20 Oct 2026. https://www.lovguiden.dk/en/det-offentlige/raadet-for-den-europaeiske-union/2026-10-19-eu-afsaetter-20-mio-euro-til-nigerias-vaebnede-styrker-via-fredsfaciliteten

"EU to provide €20 million in defence support to Nigerian Armed Forces," Nairametrics, 17 Oct 2026. https://nairametrics.com/2026/10/17/eu-to-provide-e20-million-in-defence-support-to-nigerian-armed-forces/

"Ecowas to Deploy Regional Stabilisation Force in 2027," allAfrica. https://allafrica.com/stories/202608250505.html

"Fighting Without Holding," Texas National Security Review, 5 Oct 2026. https://tnsr.org/2026/10/converting-military-capacity-into-durable-security-in-west-africa/

"President Mahama: 'I'll try to convince President Putin to have a ceasefire,'" Graphic Online. https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/president-mahama-ill-try-to-convince-president-putin-to-have-a-ceasefire.html