Visitor registration has opened for AFRIDEX 2026, billed as Africaโs premier defence and security exhibition, with organisers confirming the event will run from October 26-29 at Eko Atlantic in Lagos, Nigeria.
The exhibition carries the formal backing of the Nigerian government and is designed as what organisers describe as a โprotocol-ledโ platform, bringing together governments, armed forces, policymakers, defence manufacturers, technology innovators and security professionals from across Africa and beyond. The event will span capability areas across land, maritime, air, cyber and space domains, reflecting what organisers say are the increasingly complex and multidimensional threats facing the continent as nations seek to strengthen interoperability, capability development and long-term resilience.
Nigeriaโs Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), said Africaโs defence priorities must be defined by African realities and delivered through African-led action, framing AFRIDEX as a strategic convening point rather than a standalone exhibition. He said the event is intended to drive alignment on critical capability needs, accelerate partnerships and translate intent into tangible outcomes that strengthen readiness across the continent, describing Nigeriaโs hosting role as a demonstration of its commitment to indigenous capacity, deeper continental cooperation and a more self-reliant Africa.
Industry figures echoed that emphasis on visibility and market access. Major General Abbas (Rtd), managing director of Bufalo Engineering and Technical Services Limited, said African nations need a platform to raise awareness of domestic defence capabilities, arguing that companies unable to showcase their work struggle to grow their business and attract buyers. Rear Admiral S. S. Lassa (Rtd), chief executive of Epsilon Unmanned Systems and a consultant to Nigeriaโs armed forces, made a similar point, saying visibility is central to demonstrating capability and calling AFRIDEX the first exhibition of its kind to bring global defence industries together with Nigerian capability on a single stage.
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Beyond the exhibition floor, the programme includes strategic conferences, hosted delegation programmes, industry networking sessions and live land, maritime and air demonstrations. Organisers said visitors will be able to track capability priorities across multiple defence and security requirements, explore dual-use and emerging technologies supporting national resilience, and engage directly with procurement officials, capability planners and military decision-makers.
The agenda also includes sessions connecting participants across the full defence supply chain, from innovation and integration through to sustainment and lifecycle support, alongside discussions focused on interoperability, operational readiness and regional cooperation. Cyber security has been given specific billing, with dedicated exhibitors and technology providers focused on protecting critical infrastructure, digital economies and national security assets, underscoring the growing weight cyber resilience carries in defence planning across the continent.
Major General Ibrahim Babatunde Alaya, director general of Nigeriaโs Defence Industries Corporation (DICON), described AFRIDEX as a national project with full backing from the government, armed forces and security institutions, positioning it as a point of convergence where indigenous capability can be showcased alongside the expertise of international partners. He said the event is poised to become Africaโs premier defence and security exhibition and reflects Nigeriaโs growing influence as a hub for industrial innovation, strategic cooperation and regional security collaboration, and he invited defence manufacturers, ministers of defence, chiefs of defence staff and industry leaders worldwide to attend.
Richard P. Pheelangwah, permanent secretary at Nigeriaโs Ministry of Defence, framed the exhibition as a venue for new partnerships to take shape informally as much as through formal sessions, telling delegates that some of the most consequential defence agreements begin not inside the conference hall but with a handshake, a conversation, or a shared coffee.
AFRIDEX is expected to draw government representatives, military leaders, defence ministries, security agencies and technology innovators from across Africa and around the world, adding to a fast-growing calendar of continental defence events. Registration is open to military personnel, government representatives, defence and security professionals, industry stakeholders and accredited media ahead of the four-day event at Eko Atlantic, with organisers positioning the show as a long-term fixture in Africaโs defence industrial calendar.