Highlights:
Indian military vehicle manufacturers Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland are the recent entrants of the African defense market.
Ashok Leyland between February and July 2015 supplied 1200 vehicles to six African countries among them Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Djibouti, Seychelles and Botswana.
Summary:
African States in the past decade have been modernizing their military by increasing their military spending both on personnel and advanced equipment.
Africa’s defense market is projected to grow to at least USD 20billion by 2020 as the African countries toil to modernize their militaries. The increasing demand for military equipment especially vehicles has place military vehicle producing companies in a scramble for the supply of such like vehicles.
Indian military vehicle manufacturers Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland are the recent entrants in the African defense market. Ashok has provided military-grade vehicles to countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Botswana, Seychelles and Djibouti.
The largest delivery was to Zimbabwe in July where Ashok delivered 633 vehicles including; troop carriers, buses, transport trucks, water tankers, fuel tankers, fire-tenders, ambulances and light commercial vehicles for a cost of USD 50million.
Indian companies are becoming a preferred option as they have a partnership with India’s Exim Bank which provides the funding for the acquisition of the vehicles. Additionally, the companies provide training and maintenance of the delivered vehicles.
The growing market has also seen Tata Motors land a delivery of military vehicles including; troop carriers, water and fuel tankers, recovery, refrigeration and fire trucks to 4 countries’ armies under the United Nations Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). This order diversifies the companies export region from previously South America and Asia to African countries and the Middle East.
African defense market expansion is clear indicators of the African countries mandate to equip their militaries as a measure geared towards protecting their individual sovereignty. Heavy military vehicles facilitate easy maneuverability of the ground troops in combat, transport, military response, evacuation as well as tactical support in times of crises.
