South Africa’s Army Chief says Africa’s stability depends on stronger military collaboration between the continent’s leading powers — Nigeria and South Africa.
The Chief of the South African Army, Lawrence Mbatha, has called for deeper military cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa to strengthen peace and security across the African continent.
Mbatha made the call in Abuja during a gala night held in his honour as part of his official working visit to Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria and South Africa — two of Africa’s most influential nations — must work closely together to tackle growing security threats such as terrorism, insurgency and other asymmetric challenges.
“With the size and influence of Nigeria, you cannot talk about Africa without mentioning Nigeria,” he said.
Mbatha explained that his visit was aimed at boosting defence diplomacy and army-to-army cooperation, while also expressing admiration for Nigeria’s military training institutions and operational experience.
He revealed that plans were underway to invite his Nigerian counterpart to South Africa to further deepen bilateral military relations.
Earlier, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, described the visit as strategic and timely, noting that both countries share a long history of cooperation in promoting peace and stability across Africa.
Shaibu said Nigeria and South Africa have continued to collaborate in areas such as military education exchange programmes, peacekeeping operations, capacity building and regional stabilisation initiatives.
He stressed that Africa’s evolving security threats — including terrorism, insurgency, banditry and transnational crimes — require stronger partnerships among African militaries.
The visit also allowed both armies to share operational experiences and explore new areas of collaboration in intelligence sharing, leadership development, doctrinal advancement and capacity building.
During the trip, Mbatha toured several key Nigerian military institutions, including the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command, National Defence College Nigeria, Nigerian Defence Academy, Armed Forces Command and Staff College Nigeria, and the Army War College Nigeria.
Shaibu reaffirmed that the Nigerian Army remains committed to building a professional, well-trained and combat-ready force capable of tackling emerging security threats while strengthening military partnerships across Africa.
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