By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Building a robust military demands significant financial investment and defence budgets play a critical role in acquiring advanced weaponry, modernizing infrastructure, and enhancing training programs.
The African continent is currently facing numerous internally driven crises, with military juntas taking control in some nations.
These challenges have destabilized several countries, triggered mass displacement, and led to increased migration within and beyond the continent.
To address such disruptions, economically stable nations like Egypt and South Africa invest heavily in their defence sectors, ensuring they possess advanced weaponry and technological capabilities to maintain security and stability.
Meanwhile, countries lacking the necessary tools and resources to equip their militaries often struggle under the burden of well-funded terrorist insurgencies and conflicts.
Africa’s military strength
While showing significant regional potential, military forces in Africa remains considerably behind that of developed nations.
The disparities manifest across key areas such as budget allocation, technological advancement, training, domestic defense industries, strategic reach, and coalition-building capabilities.
According to Global Firepower, a nation’s military strength is evaluated using various factors, including the quantity of military units, financial standing, logistical capabilities, and geographic positioning.
The formula employed by Global Firepower is designed to allow smaller, technologically advanced nations to compete with larger, less-developed powers.
A perfect Power Index (PwrIndx) score is 0.0000, which is practically unattainable. Therefore, the closer a nation’s PwrIndx score is to zero, the stronger its conventional military capabilities are considered.
According to the Global Firepower Index, the following African countries ranked highest at the start of 2025:
| Rank | Country | Global Rank (2024) | Global Rank (2025) | PwrIndx Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 15th | 19th | 0.34 |
| 2 | Algeria | 26th | 26th | 0.35 |
| 3 | Nigeria | 39th | 31st | 0.57 |
| 4 | South Africa | 33rd | 40th | 0.68 |
| 5 | Ethiopia | 49th | 52nd | 0.93 |
| 6 | Angola | 55th | 56th | 1.09 |
| 7 | Morocco | 61st | 59th | 1.12 |
| 8 | DR Congo | 73rd | 66th | 1.3 |
| 9 | Sudan | 76th | 73rd | 1.47 |
| 10 | Libya | 79th | 76th | 1.44 |
Although Egypt dropped slightly from 15th to 19th globally, it maintained its position as the top-ranked African nation in the Global Firepower Index.
Algeria maintained its position as 2nd in Africa and 26th globally, with a stable PowerIndex score of 0.35, reflecting consistent influence.
Nigeria showed significant improvement, rising from 4th to 3rd in Africa. Globally, it advanced from 39th to 31st, with a PowerIndex score of 0.57, signaling growing influence.
South Africa experienced a decline, dropping from 3rd to 4th in Africa and from 33rd to 40th globally. Its higher PowerIndex score of 0.68 indicates a weakening position.
Ethiopia held its 5th position in Africa but slipped globally from 49th to 52nd. Its PowerIndex score of 0.93 reflects a moderate decline in influence.
These shifts highlight the dynamic geopolitical landscape of Africa, with some nations like Nigeria gaining influence, while others like South Africa and Ethiopia face challenges.
Source: Business Insider