Industry, economics and innovation a focus at the African Chiefs of Defense Conference 2026

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LUANDA, Angola- The African Chiefs of Defense Conference 2026 has concluded, but the critical security issues addressed during the summit will remain an enduring focus for U.S. Africa Command in the months and years ahead.

The conference brought together African and U.S. defense professionals to tackle a wide spectrum of regional security challenges. New to this year's agenda was a focus on the intersection of defense and economics, examining how these forces merge to drive innovation both on and off the battlefield.

Industry Roundtable

A major highlight of this year's event was a dedicated industry roundtable. This session brought senior U.S. officials with American and African industry leaders together to address operational hurdles and identify solutions for defense-industrial partnerships across the continent.

"For the first time at ACHOD, we hosted an entire engagement dedicated specifically to innovation and defense economics," said Mr. Levi Alexis of the AFRICOM Office of Defense Economics. "With more than 11 U.S. and African industry partners participating, we successfully connected key decision-makers to explore strategic solutions for Africa's security challenges while unlocking vital economic opportunities."

The roundtable was hosted by Brig. Gen. Eero R.Keravuori, AFRICOM Deputy Director for Strategy, Engagements, and Plans, and featured senior leaders from the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The primary objective of the roundtable was to gather direct, actionable feedback from private industry regarding persistent operational barriers in Africa. Industry executives shared critical insights on capital risks, bureaucratic rigidity, asymmetric competition, and limited defense budgets.

To mitigate these challenges, participants proposed several strategic pathways:

• Adopting an integrated DIME (Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic) approach to align defense efforts with economic development.
• Leveraging new risk-mitigation frameworks through the Export-Import Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation underwriting.
• Enhancing data protection in joint business ventures.
• Tailoring security solutions to directly support and appeal to local African populations.

The panel highlighted the Lobito Corridor, a U.S.-backed joint railway venture connecting Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a premier model of how governments and private industry can collaborate to unlock new markets and generate regional stability.

"In the same way that the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates or the mighty Mississippi Rivers created an economic platform for all kinds of opportunities in agriculture, industry, and to live and work, the Lobito Corridor creates huge opportunities for economic activity in the communities surrounding this important economic artery," said Mark Mitchell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Middle East and Africa Global Markets, International Trade Administration, who represented the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Forums Focus on Stability, Prosperity, and Tech Innovation

Beyond the roundtable, the conference featured a deep dive into defense economics through two targeted forums: Economic Opportunity and Innovating Solutions. These panels featured senior African military leaders, a prominent African technology executive, and key U.S. agency representatives.

Economic Opportunity - Linking Stability and Prosperity

This session featured Bethany Aquilina Brez, Vice President of the Office of Foreign Policy at the DFC, alongside Mark Mitchell.

Brez outlined the DFC's core mission and explained how African nations can leverage the agency to secure direct foreign investment. She emphasized that the DFC can potentially provide up to$1 billion in political risk insurance for commercial enterprises, a factor that could fundamentally shift risk calculations for companies looking to enter African markets.

Mitchell provided specialized market analysis on high-value sectors, including energy, rare earth minerals, and defense-related industries. He reiterated that strong international partnerships are foundational to establishing the secure environments necessary to attract foreign direct investment.

"It's important to think about modern economic opportunities as pieces of a giant puzzle. Digital transformation goes hand in hand with viable energy infrastructure and critical minerals and manufacturing. While each piece (or system) is valuable on its own and operates independently, it's their synergy, run in any combination, that create extraordinary value," Mitchell added.

Innovating Solutions - Beyond Technology in Operations

This forum featured Nathan Nwachuku, Chief Executive Officer of Terra haptix-a leading commercial drone manufacturer in Africa-alongside Lt. Gen. Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, and other AFRICOM representatives.

The discussion centered on how militaries can partner with civilian tech firms to accelerate technological adaptation, achieve production at scale, and synchronize operational planning. Panelists specifically focused on how African nations can adapt to rapid advancements in drone warfare and why cultivating a sovereign domestic defense industrial base is vital to securing long-term peace.

"It was a great conference, I love that there is clearly a new focus from AFRICOM and allied African nations on sovereign defense capability for the continent," said Mr. Nwachuku. "It's clear that Africa can't keep relying on imported security architecture to defend itself against terrorism and insurgency but must develop pan-African defense industrial base to bring lasting peace."

At the conclusion of the conference it was clear that defense economics and commercial innovation emerged as central pillars key to long-term strategy on the continent.

"Ultimately, these forums were not just focused on security; they sought to see how we enable African partners to find innovative solutions that work for them, and the key interaction between security and industry," said Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander, AFRICOM. "It's what can we do to build economic opportunity that creates lasting stability that leads to investment that creates opportunities for prosperity."

About U.S. Africa Command

U.S. Africa Command, one of 11 U.S. Department of Defense combatant commands, has an area of responsibility covering 53 African states, more than 800 ethnic groups, over 1,000 languages, vast natural resources, a land mass that is three-and-a-half times the size of the U.S., and nearly 19,000 miles of coastland. Working alongside its partners, AFRICOM counters transnational threats and malign actors, strengthens security forces and responds to crises.

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• African Land Forces Summit debuts industry track in Rome, connecting defense leaders with tech investors | April 2026

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

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