South African Army Chief visits NDA, AFCSC, DICON to deepen military cooperation

By Mohammad Tijjani

The Chief of the South African Army, Lt.-Gen. Lawrence Mbatha, on Wednesday paid a working visit to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) in Kaduna State.

Mbatha said the visit was aimed at strengthening military cooperation and benchmarking training systems between the armed forces of Nigeria and South Africa.

According to him, the visit forms part of an existing cooperation agreement between the military institutions of the two countries.

“The purpose of my visit is a working visit to my counterpart and, as part of the visit, we have a cooperation agreement in place between our military arms.

“In this particular area, we define such visits as a benchmarking process,” he said.

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Mbatha described his impressions of the institutions visited as commendable, particularly the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He said the academy’s integrated curriculum and professional training structure offered valuable lessons for South Africa’s military training institutions.

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“Starting from the NDA to the AFCSC, I must say the level of professionalism is quite impressive.

“At the NDA, if we can have such an integrated curriculum, there is much to learn from that process,” he said.

The South African Army Chief also commended the Armed Forces Command and Staff College for its strong international cooperation.

He noted that both countries already had exchange programmes involving directing staff and students at the college.

“You could see that we have exchanged directing staff and students, which shows that the cooperation is already active.

“We came for the right purpose and the objective of the visit has largely been attained,” he said.

Mbatha also visited the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), where he noted that defence companies in South Africa already had engagements with Nigerian counterparts.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Olatoye, welcomed the South African Army Chief and his delegation to the academy.

Olatoye explained that the NDA’s training structure combines both academic and military training from the first to the fourth year, while the fifth year focuses entirely on military training to prepare cadets for field operations.

He said the training covered conventional and asymmetric warfare, including airborne and amphibious operations.

According to him, cadets must meet strict standards before earning specialised badges such as airborne wings.

Olatoye emphasised that the academy remained committed to producing well-trained officers capable of meeting contemporary security challenges.

Also speaking, the Commandant of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Air Vice Marshal A.O. Shogbanmu, welcomed the South African Army Chief and his delegation.

Shogbanmu expressed appreciation to the Chief of Army Staff for including the college in the itinerary of the visit.

He said the engagement would further strengthen ties between the college and the armed forces of both countries.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mbatha was accompanied by senior Nigerian military officers during the visit.

They included the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Sector 1 Joint Task Force North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Wase, representatives of the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command, the Deputy Commandant of NDA, and other staff officers from Army Headquarters.

Mbatha and his entourage were later taken on a guided tour of the three military facilities.