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Can public-private partnerships (PPPs) help Africa meet its growing security challenges?
At the recent African Chiefs of Defence Staff (CDS) Summit in Abuja, I joined nearly 40 defence chiefs and regional leaders to explore this question. The message I shared was clear: if structured well, PPPs can be a strategic tool for strengthening national security, unlocking innovation, and ensuring cost efficiency at a time of limited defence budgets.
Too often, we think of security as the sole domain of governments. But in today’s complex landscape, marked by resource constraints, technological change, and overlapping crises, governments cannot do it alone. The private sector has a role to play, not just in financing, but in co-designing smarter, more sustainable responses.
PPPs are inherently collaborative, a way to leverage the strengths of the private and public sectors to address particular needs, while sharing risks and responsibilities. Private sector partners can provide high-quality infrastructure maintenance, innovation and efficiency. Governments can benefit from medium to long-term repayment periods, allowing defence departments to focus on their core mandate.
That said, PPPs are not a quick fix. They require clear alignment between public and private sector actors, strong legal and oversight frameworks, and careful attention to national sovereignty and security safeguards. In Africa, the PPP model is still relatively new within the defence sector, making good design even more important.
Some of the key conditions for success include:
- Shared vision and clear roles
- Dedicated PPP units with qualified personnel
- Transparent monitoring and accountability mechanisms
- A strong legal and regulatory foundation
- Investment in local content and industry
PPPs that reinforce local capacity support long-term resilience, ensuring that security solutions are rooted in local realities and national priorities, and able to stand the test of time.
Hosted by Nigeria, the three-day CDS summit aimed to explore ways of combating threats to peace and security in Africa. It was an opportunity to hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues related to strategic defence and regional collaboration, including leveraging artificial intelligence, combating terrorism, and cooperation in the maritime sector.
High-level summit participants included Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shetima, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, former UN Under-Secretary-Generals, former ECOWAS chief executives and the ECOWAS Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace & Security, as well as key international partners.
