Top Five Strongest Militaries in Africa: See Nigeria's Position

Global Firepower Ranking (GFP): This is an index that measures the military strength of a country and gives an objective rating with which it can be compared to other countries.

The countries with the most power militaries in Africa are below:

1. Egypt:
Egypt comes out on top of all African armies on the basis of the sheer size of its armed force. While they are well-trained and equipped, they are still inferior to Israeli soldiers in the same parameters. More than 1.5 million Egyptians attain army age yearly, and according to the GFP, the army has more than 800 military craft and 200 helicopters.

2. Algeria:
The Algerian military comprises of a modern army, navy and airforce. Frontline manpower is 120,000 active personnel, well equipeped and with about 2,000 ready-to-go armoured fighting vehicles. Since Algeria has its own oil reserves, it gives it the extra advantage of being able to power all its military vehicles.

3. Ethiopia:
Their position here is attributed to their large population and their long independence from colonization. Being landlocked, the country has spent most of its resources building an impressive army and airforce. Of the 38 million people in the country, 24 million citizens are said to be fit and service-ready. According to a ThisDay report, "Ethiopia reportedly had around 182,500 personnel in their ground forces and a further 3,000 air force personnel.

4. South Africa:
Apart from its thriving economy, this country can also boast of being the fourth strongest military base in Africa, which it uses majorly for international cooperation.

Though the country has less than 88,000 active front-line personnel and 17,000 active reserve personnel, the naval vessels and aircraft are up-to date technologically and the country has the capacity and manpower for much more.

5. Nigeria
This country has the second largest military population in Africa. Political instability and insufficient equipment has however made it to rank fifth in the GFP.

"The country has more than 1,400 armoured vehicles, 360 tanks, and 6,000 logistical vehicles at its disposal, as well as nearly 300 aircraft and 25 high-powered naval vessels," says ThisDay. "The army has been criticised for their heavy-handed manner in dealing with civilians during anti-Boko Haram operations in the North-east. The previous year, Nigeria occupied the 4th place."

http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/top-five-strongest-militaries-in-africa-see-nigerias-position.98964/