Lagos / New Delhi: European defence, aerospace and security companies are showing strong and increasing interest in AFRIDEX 2026, with 46% of confirmed exhibitors currently originating from across Europe.
The level of European participation highlights growing recognition of Africa as an increasingly important region for long term defence cooperation, industrial partnership and security engagement.
As governments and defence organisations across Africa continue to invest in capability modernisation, sovereign industrial development, border security, maritime protection, cybersecurity and aerospace infrastructure, international industry is placing greater focus on strategic engagement with the continent.
AFRIDEX 2026 has been developed to support that engagement through a structured, protocol led platform that connects government, armed forces and industry across Land, Maritime, Air, Cyber and Space domains.
A SHIFT TOWARDS LONG TERM PARTNERSHIP
European interest in AFRIDEX reflects a broader shift in how international defence and security companies are engaging with Africa’s evolving strategic landscape.
Increasingly, European organisations are looking beyond traditional export led relationships and focusing on long term industrial cooperation, sovereign capability partnerships and collaborative engagement models.
Across Africa, governments and defence institutions are placing greater emphasis on defence industrial development, localisation, manufacturing capability, technology partnership and supply chain resilience. As a result, international industry is seeking opportunities to engage through collaborative frameworks that support capability development and sustainable long term partnership.
For European defence, aerospace and security companies, AFRIDEX provides a platform to better understand regional operational priorities while establishing direct engagement with government stakeholders, armed forces leadership and industry partners from across the continent.
Interest from European exhibitors spans a broad range of capability areas, including aerospace, land systems, maritime security, cybersecurity, dual use technologies, advanced manufacturing, training and simulation, and next generation defence innovation.
The growing participation from Europe also reflects increasing recognition that future defence engagement in Africa will be shaped not only by procurement, but by industrial collaboration, technology exchange, local capability development and strategic partnership building.
AFRICA EUROPE COOPERATION CONTINUES TO EXPAND
The growing level of European participation at AFRIDEX also reflects wider economic and strategic trends shaping Africa Europe relations.
Recent reports indicates that bilateral trade between Africa and Europe could reach $1 trillion over the next decade, driven by closer industrial cooperation, integrated value chains and expanding long term partnership frameworks across multiple sectors, including defence, aerospace, technology and advanced manufacturing.
As Africa continues to strengthen industrial capability and invest in strategic infrastructure, international defence and security companies are increasingly recognising the importance of establishing early engagement and long term partnerships across the continent.
CONTINUING ENGAGEMENT AT EUROSATORY 2026
As part of preparations for AFRIDEX 2026, the AFRIDEX team will attend Eurosatory 2026 in Paris alongside Major General Ibrahim Babatunde Alaya, Director General of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
Held every two years at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in France, Eurosatory is recognised as the world’s largest international exhibition dedicated to the land and air land defence and security industry.
The exhibition brings together leading global defence manufacturers, government delegations, armed forces representatives and security organisations from across the international defence sector, showcasing products and capabilities from across the full spectrum of land and air land defence and security.
For AFRIDEX, Eurosatory provides an important opportunity to continue discussions with European companies that have already expressed interest in AFRIDEX 2026 and are exploring opportunities to participate within the exhibition and wider programme.
Meetings during the event will focus on how international companies can engage responsibly with Africa’s evolving defence and security priorities, while exploring exhibiting opportunities, industrial cooperation and long term strategic partnership development.
“European industry interest in AFRIDEX reflects the growing recognition of Africa as a strategically important partner in defence, aerospace and security,” said Major General Ibrahim Babatunde Alaya, Director General of DICON.
“AFRIDEX has been created to enable responsible, structured engagement between governments, armed forces and industry, while supporting long term capability development and industrial cooperation across the continent,” he said.
“We look forward to continuing discussions with European organisations at Eurosatory 2026 and exploring how they can contribute to AFRIDEX 2026 and Africa’s evolving defence and security landscape,” emphasised Major General Ibrahim Babatunde Alaya.
BUILDING TOWARDS AFRIDEX 2026
With almost half of confirmed exhibitors already coming from Europe, AFRIDEX 2026 is continuing to establish itself as an important platform for international defence and security engagement across Africa.
As preparations continue, AFRIDEX is expected to attract further interest from European defence, aerospace and security organisations seeking to establish strategic relationships, strengthen regional engagement and position themselves within one of the world’s fastest evolving defence and security markets.
