ADF

Egypt plans to modernize four of its fast missile craft to combat maritime crime and protect its shipping lanes. The U.S. government has approved the deal, which is worth an estimated $625 million. The U.S. said the Egyptian government requested new or system upgrades for combat management, air and surface surveillance radars, decoys, electro-optical/infrared sensors, electronic warfare, navigation data distribution, communications intelligence, and fire control radar. Egypt also asked for 76 mm gun upgrades. Egypt’s $1.1 billion fast missile craft project began in 2005 when the U.S. agreed to help produce a new naval vessel. A company then called VT…

Botswana has launched its first satellite, BOTSAT-1, in an effort led by 80 volunteers from the Botswana International University of Science and Technology. The launch, despite the fact that Botswana does not have a space agency or national space policy, offers a model for developing countries looking to gain a presence in space, reported Space in Africa. Developed over four years, BOTSAT-1 was launched into orbit by Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket in March 2025 and is circling Earth at an altitude of about 500 kilometers. It scans Botswana with a sweep observation area of about 32 kilometers, offering valuable…

The Ghana Navy has opened a state-of-the-art full mission bridge simulator to improve Sailors’ navigation, safety and decision-making. The simulator was built with support from Denmark and is at Naval Training Command in Nutekpor in Ghana’s Volta Region. The system includes a 270-degree full mission bridge simulator, three 120-degree part-task simulators, two instructor stations, a briefing room, a server room and instructor offices. Its design replicates the challenges and dangers Sailors could face in the Gulf of Guinea. The simulator has been named the Lill-May Didriksen Simulation Centre, in honor of a pioneering Royal Danish Navy officer. Authorities believe interactive…

About 60 countries endorsed the blueprint for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military, which was voted on at the Responsible AI in the Military Domain conference in South Korea in 2024. Kenya was a co-host of the event and has been a continental leader advocating for the need for rigorous risk assessments and human oversight of AI operations. “We are committed to continue engaging in the process of developing the UN resolution on Responsible AI in the Military Domain [REAIM] which underscores the need to ensure that the development, deployment and use of AI promotes peace, security,…

When a major wildfire broke out in Kenya’s Turkana South National Reserve, Soldiers from the Kenya Defence Forces’ (KDF) Operation Maliza Uhalifu (OMU) were there to contain the blaze and save valuable land, property and lives. The multiagency fire response in January 2025 also included the Kenya Wildlife Service, General Service Unit, National Parks Service and the Anti Stock Theft Unit. The response was just the latest achievement by OMU, which was launched in 2023 to address banditry in the North Rift and Eastern regions. Of particular concern was a rise in clashes among heavily armed pastoralist militias sometimes termed…

Senegal has graduated its first civilian aeronautical maintenance technicians trained by the Air Force School to boost the country’s aviation industry, enhance the defense sector and improve self-sufficiency. The first 29 aeronautical maintenance technicians received diplomas in January 2025 during a ceremony in Thiès. The graduation is the result of what is being called a historic public-private partnership designed to increase Senegal’s domestic capacity to repair aircraft and build the planes of tomorrow. “It is the realization of a vision, that of preparing our youth for the challenges of the aeronautical sector and of permanently registering Senegal on the world…

Ghana is investing in maritime security to support its growing blue economy and protect maritime resources. In early 2025, Ghana commissioned a forward operating base (FOB) in Ezinlibo, in the western region, and received a Japanese-made ship, the 65-meter GNS Achimota, at the Sekondi Naval Base. The Ezinlibo FOB is now the country’s largest naval station and is expected to provide logistical support and personnel accommodation while supporting the Ghana Navy’s efforts to combat illegal fishing, piracy and other security threats in the Gulf of Guinea. The Ezinlibo base joins a network of FOBs across the country, including those at…

In a sweeping operation that covered multiple East African countries, Afripol announced the arrest of 37 terrorism suspects and the destruction of weapons, including a missile and antitank armaments. The operation in November and December 2024 netted members of the Islamic State group (IS) and al-Shabaab, along with other foreign fighters. Working with Interpol, Afripol authorities made arrests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. In the DRC, police arrested four alleged members of the Allied Democratic Forces and two associates. They also captured and destroyed a missile and antitank device abandoned by terrorists. In Kenya,…

There have been fierce, powerful armies throughout the history of Africa, but few were ever so spectacular as the Horsemen of Oyo. The Kingdom of Oyo had its start in about 1300 A.D., in what are today southern Benin and western Nigeria. Oyo quickly became a trans-Saharan trade center. The Yoruba people traded in salt, leather, kola nuts, ivory, cloth and slaves. Oyo’s climate in the savannah region north of the tropical forests made it relatively free from tsetse fly infestation, which in turn made it easier to raise healthy animals. The excellence of Oyo’s horses made them their most…

CLUES The pristine site sprawls across almost 3,000 square kilometers and includes streams and waterfalls. Its aquatic habitats are home to freshwater fish species, 13 of which are threatened. The site combines large areas of intact forests and undisturbed river ecosystems. The land is considered one of the world’s most irreplaceable protected areas for its conservation of mammals, birds and amphibians. ANSWER  Ivindo National Park, Gabon