Nigeria, Kenya, others to get N17bn annual security aid from US

With growing unrest in many African countries, the United States has said it plans to spend N17.13 billion ($110 million) a year over the next three to five years to help African nations develop peacekeeping

forces that can be rapidly deployed to head off militant threats and other crises. Security institutions in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger and Tunisia are billed to benefit from an initial N10.12 billion ($65 million) spending, America’s president, Barack Obama said at a conference during the third day of a summit of African heads of state in Washington.

The United States plans to partner with Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda to develop rapid response forces, who would be ready to deploy as part of United Nations’ or African Union missions.

“The United States doesn’t have a desire to expand and create a big footprint inside of Africa. What we want to make sure we can do is partner with the African Union … with individual countries, to build up their capacity,” Obama said.

“We’ve seen over time increasingly capable African peacekeepers who are deploying to address crises across the continent,” an administration official said.

“But there continues to be a gap in systematically supporting these peacekeepers to help them deploy more quickly and to help them better sustain themselves once deployed.”

From Somalia to the Sahel, the United States has been increasingly backing African-led military efforts to counter Islamist militants, while avoiding direct involvement in those conflicts.