Top 10 most powerful African countries ranked 2020

We all want our countries to be named the most powerful on earth because that way, we will be assured of our safety. However, there can only be one nation as the most powerful on earth at this point. Furthermore, with such power comes great responsibility, such as ensuring the world is at peace without picking sides with warring factions. Africa has remained underdeveloped for the longest time possible, and the military might of African countries is a fraction of what the developed western countries are capable of. That said, significant milestones have been achieved by most of the African countries since independence in terms of modernizing their militaries. However, some of the most powerful African countries are not necessarily the most developed or populous ones.

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The Global Fire Power(GFP) has been ranking nations based on their military forces, and out of 138 countries ranked globally in 2020, only 24 managed to be from Africa. The criteria used to rank the countries take into consideration the number of serving military members, the naval force, availability of fuel for conducting military operations, the number of fighter jets, the defense budget, and the logistics flexibility of the nation. It is, therefore, clear that military power is not derived from the size of the military or the number of wars the country has engaged in.

Most powerful African countries

The Global Fire Power (GFP) uses more than 50 factors to arrive at a Power Index ('PwrIndx') score applied in ranking the countries. In 2020, there were a total of 35 countries entered into the African Military Strength listing. Which country in Africa has the strongest army? The

 top 10 powerful countries 

are:

1. Egypt (PwrIndx: 0.1872)

Egypt has a total population of 99,413,317 people, out of which the available manpower is 42,946,553 (43.2%) of the population. It tops among the most powerful African countries. The total military personnel is estimated to be around 920,000, while the active personnel is 440,000. The country has further reserve personnel of about 480,000.

When it comes to airpower, Egypt's total strength is 1,054 with 215 fighter jets, 88 dedicated attack jets, 59 transport jets, 387 trainer jets, 11 special mission jets, 294 helicopters, and 81 attack helicopters. In terms of land forces, Egypt has 4,295 tanks, 11,700 armored vehicles, 1,139 self-propelled artillery, 2,189 towed artillery, and 1,084 rocket projectors.

Egypt's naval force has a total of 316 assets, two aircraft carriers, seven frigates, seven corvettes, eight submarines, 48 patrols, and 31 mine warfare. The country has an abundance of oil, which means they can be able to fuel their machinery. Egypt's defense budget is a whopping $11,200,000,000 hence why it is the most powerful African country.

2. Algeria (PwrIndx: 0.4659)

Algeria is the second strongest country in the African continent. It is a relatively small country with a total population of 41,657,488 people. Out of the 20,741,263 available manpower, Algeria has total military personnel of approximately 280,000.

Out of those, only 130,000 are active personnel, while the rest 150,000 are reserve personnel. Algeria's airpower total strength comprises of 551 planes. Of these, 103 are fighter jets, 22 dedicated attack jets, 59 transport jets, 87 trainer jets, nine special mission jets, 257 helicopters, and 45 attack helicopters.

The country's land forces have 880 tanks, 7,361 armored vehicles, 320 self-propelled artillery, 240 towed artillery, and 316 rocket projectors. Their naval forces have 201 total assets, five frigates, three corvettes, six submarines, and 25 patrol boats. Algeria is also blessed with abundant oil with proven oil reserves of 12,200,000,000 bbl. The country has dedicated about $13,000,000,000 as its defense budget.

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3. South Africa (PwrIndx: 0.4985)

South Africa is the third most powerful country on the continent and has the potential to be a superpower in Africa. The total population for this country is 55,380,210. The available manpower is 47.4%, which is 26,250,220 individuals. South Africa has estimated total military personnel of about 81,000. Only 66,300 are active while the other 15,000 are reserve personnel.

South Africa is a real force to reckon with on the African continent when it comes to airpower. Their total strength on the air is thanks to their 226 carriers, 17 fighter jets, 23 transport jets, 88 trainer jets, seven special mission jets, 91 helicopters, and 12 attack helicopters. In terms of its land forces, South Africa has 195 tanks, 2000 armored vehicles, 43 self-propelled artillery, 72 towed artillery, and 50 rocket propellers.

On the front of the naval force, South Africa has 30 assets, four frigates, three submarines, 31 patrol boats, and two mine warfare. It has moderate natural resources with proven oil reserves of about 15,000,000 bbl. This country's defense budget runs to a total of $4,278,000,000.

4. Nigeria (PwrIndx: 0.6485)

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, with a total population of 203,452,505 people. The country's overall military personnel are estimated to be about 120,000, with all of them active hence no reserve personnel. Their total strength in airpower comprises 129 carriers, eight fighter jets, 13 dedicated attack jets, 21 transport jets, 47 trainer jets, five special mission jets, 44 helicopters, and 15 attack helicopters.

Its land forces have 253 tanks, 1,789 armored vehicles, 25 self-propelled artillery, 339 towed artillery, and 36 rocket projectors. Its naval forces have a total of 75 assets, 100 patrol boats, and two mine warfare. Nigeria is also oil-rich with proven oil reserves of about 37,060,000,000 bbl. Their defense budget runs to the tune of $2,155,000,000.

5. Angola (PwrIndx: 0.8379)

Ranked 5th, Angola has a total population of 30,355,880 people. The country's total military personnel are 107,000 people, and all of them are active. It has strong airpower with an overall strength of 295 carriers, 72 fighter jets, 18 dedicated attack jets, 30 transport jets, 47 trainer jets, two special mission jets, 126 helicopters, and 15 attack helicopters thus it has one of the best air force in Africa.

Its land forces comprise of 379 tanks, 595 armored vehicles, 28 self-propelled artillery, 357 towed artillery, and 115 rocket projectors. Angola's naval forces have 37 patrol boats. The country has a considerable amount of natural resources, with about 8,273,000,000 bbl proven oil reserves. The country has spent a defense budget of approximately $7,000,000,000.

6. Morocco (PwrIndx: 0.8408)

Morocco has a total population of 34,314,130, and its total military personnel is estimated to be about 510,000 and probably one of the most trained army in Africa. The country has quite a large military, but only 310,000 are active personnel, and the extra 200,000 are reserves. Their airpower has a total strength of 214 carriers, 46 fighter jets, 31 transport jets, 67 trainer jets, four special mission jets, and 64 helicopters.

Its land forces are well equipped with 1,443 tanks, 2,901 armored vehicles, 505 self-propelled artillery, 200 towed artillery, and 144 rocket projectors. The country's naval power has about 121 total assets, three frigates, four corvettes, and 105 patrol boats. Morocco is not very endowed with natural resources and has a proven oil reserve of about 684,000 bbl; however, they have spent a defense budget of $10,000,000,000.

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7. Ethiopia (PwrIndx: 0.8581)

Ethiopia is known for its military might and houses the headquarters of the African Union. The country's total population is 108,386,391, and the total military personnel is estimated to be around 162,000. All the staff are active; therefore, the state does not have reserve personnel but still is among the strongest military in Africa.

When it comes to airpower, their total strength is 86 carriers, 24 fighter jets, 20 trainer jets, 33 helicopters, and eight attack helicopters. The land forces have 400 tanks, 114 armored vehicles, 67 self-propelled artillery, 650 towed artillery, and 183 rocket projectors. They have limited natural resources with 428,000 proven oil reserves. Ethiopia has a defense budget worth $350,000,000.

8. Democratic Republic of Congo (PwrIndx: 1.1389)

The Democratic Republic of Congo has a total population of about 85,281,024 people, out of which 134,000 are in the military, and all are active personnel. The country's airpower has a total of 53 carriers, two fighter jets, four dedicated attack jets, 13 transport jets, 34 helicopters, and eight attack helicopters.

When it comes to land forces, DRC has 175 tanks, 100 armored vehicles, 16 self-propelled artillery, 120 towed artillery, and 57 rocket projectors. The naval forces have 20 assets and one patrol boat. The DRC has considerable natural resources with about 180,000,000 bbl proven oil reserves. Furthermore, their defense budget is worth $100,000,000.

9. Sudan (PwrIndx: 1.3017)

Sudan has a population of about 43,120,843 people, and the total military personnel is estimated to be around 189,000. Out of those, 104,000 are active personnel while the rest 85,000 are reserves. The country's airpower has a total strength of 190 carriers, 46 fighter jets, 38 dedicated attack jets, 22 transport jets, 11 trainer jets, 73 helicopters, and 43 attack helicopters.

The land forces have 690 tanks, 400 armored vehicles, and ten self-propelled artillery. Sudan's naval forces have 18 total assets with 12 patrol boats. Their proven oil reserves are about 5,000,000,000 bbl. The country’s defense budget is worth $2,470,000,000.

10. Libya (PwrIndx: 1.3696)

Libya has a total population of 6,754,507 people. The country has 30,000 total military personnel, and all of them are active. Their airpower has an overall strength of 114 carriers, 17 fighter jets, two dedicated attack jets, four transport jets, 62 trainer jets, 26 helicopters, and seven attack helicopters.

The country's land forces have 250 tanks, 450 armored vehicles, 50 self-propelled artillery, 100 towed artillery, and 55 rocket projectors. They have a considerable wealth of natural resources with 48,360,000,000 bbl proven oil reserves. The country's defense budget is worth $3,020,000,000.

Many Africans will be surprised by the list of the most powerful African countries in 2020. This is because the common assumption would have been that the more economically advanced countries will also be the most powerful ones. In that case, countries like Nigeria and South Africa would have been up there on the list, but it is not the case. Different aspects have to be considered when ranking countries according to power so that the smaller but technologically advanced nations can compete fairly with the larger yet lesser-developed countries. This is how countries such as Egypt and Algeria are ranked as more powerful than Nigeria and South Africa.

Source:Tuko